


The Ruined Turnabout

by Flipz



Category: Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Artistic License - Law, Background Relationships, Fic within a Fic, Gen, In-Universe RPF, Isshu-chihou | Unova, Murder Mystery, Nonbinary Character, Pokemon AU, Relic Castle, Rise of the Rockets, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-25 15:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flipz/pseuds/Flipz
Summary: In which Bonnie writes an Ace Attorney fanfic.When a joint Rocket-Plasma archaeology expedition goes wrong, Team Rocket Ambassador Miriam Shields must face Team Plasma's Queen of Steel Amanda Zarth in court.  With no autopsy, a shady client, and the full weight of Unova's court system against her, can Miriam prevent an international incident and uncover the true killer?[Part of the Rise of the Rockets universe]





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a part of the Rise of the Rockets universe, a text-form Pokémon RPG originally hosted on the BZPower forums in the Completely Off-Topic section. The simplest summary is that in this AU Teams Rocket and Plasma successfully took over their home regions in the late 1990s/early 2000s, and are now the established governments of those regions; current and recent events in the RPG are referenced, but not strictly necessary to understand the plot. A large portion of this fic's characters have been borrowed from their original RotR creators, with permission.
> 
> This fic was written for the 2018 RotR Mystery Story contest. (Yes, it has been a full year since the contest was launched. Oops.) The framing story set in RotR's current "present day" (2017) is **canon** , while the in-universe fiction set in 2022 is not. The canon 2017 portion of the fic takes place approximately 10 years after this universe's altered version of the events in Pokémon X & Y.
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. In addition, this fic uses Ace Attorney law. Do not take anything in this fic as legal advice.

Glaring eyes, dancing through the shadows.

_Will that be the last thing that they see?_ Hopefully not. The target was nice, if strange. Something just felt _wrong_ to let the victim’s last moments leave the soul in anguish.

Souls were important--a lesson hard-learned through blood and sorrow. They _mattered_. If this person had to die, it had to be done _right_.

But that was a distraction. Distractions robbed caution, and without sufficient caution, the target was going to--

“Oh hey,” Alex said, brushing the dust from their archaeologist's outfit. “That was quick, did they win already… or…”

They knew. _A truth betrayed by my eyes, as their own realization is betrayed in theirs._ Alex gestured wildly, voice bellowing as they furiously performed rituals they both knew by heart.

It was over. A harsh shove, running--mayhaps just enough effort to evade pursuit. Alex yelped from behind, and something slammed to the ground. Good. Maybe it would slow them down. Maybe escape still lay within reach. Maybe--

A pause, ears perked to listen. _Silence._ A thought. _What would my mentor do?_

A resumed flight, foe and freedom left up to fate.

\---------------

August 7, 2017  
Team Plasma Headquarters, Black City, Unova  
Press Briefing Room

“Bonnie?”

A blonde-haired teenager looked up from her Holo Caster. “Hmm?”

“What exactly are you doing?”

Bonnie shrugged. “The Unovan press secretary still hasn’t shown up, so I got bored.”

Alexa sighed. When the one-time Champion of Kalos and sister of the Lumiose City Gym Leader had shown up on her doorstep begging to become her apprentice, she’d ecstatically accepted the request. Just a few months in, however, the ace reporter had realized the young Trainer’s essential flaw, the very flaw that had seen her reign as Champion limited to a single day in spite of her immense talent: a truly astonishing lack of patience that bordered on newsworthy in and of itself. Still, the girl had tremendous talent and creativity -- if only she could learn to focus it long enough to see the story to its end.

“I… I promise it’s related to the story.”

Alexa waited patiently, her Heliolisk raising the disbelieving eyebrow she’d trained out of herself years ago.

“It is, I promise!” Bonnie pulled up a file and turned her holo-screen so Alexa could view it clearly. 

Alexa scanned through the message, a writing contest of sorts being hosted by a Team Liberty executive. The missive had gone out the previous day, and had been forwarded to her by one of her contacts in the organization. “I’m not seeing anything connected to our leads…”

“Check the name at the bottom.” Though Bonnie tried to project a confident tone, Alexa could hear the undercurrent of nervousness running beneath it.

The reporter read the name of the original sender -- and swore. “‘Executive James Arthur.’” One of the three people whose Pokémon had mysteriously transformed on One Island just days before. “Shoot. How did I miss this?”

“In your defense, you were busy confirming all the names on the One Island list.”

Alexa nodded, still somewhat annoyed with herself. “So what’s your angle?”

“Well, I figured if I sent in an entry, that could get us an in with the Executive…”

“And once we’re in contact, it’s not much of a stretch to ask for an interview?”

Bonnie nodded enthusiastically, relieved her mentor seemed to approve of her plan.

“It makes sense,” Alexa admitted. She glanced around the room, filled with other reporters either seated with assorted degrees of veiled impatience or else hovering around the edges of the room exchanging meaningless small talk. Her eyes made brief contact with a Team Plasma agent standing protectively between the audience and the stage, and after his eyes flicked momentarily to the still-empty wings, he subtly shook his head. “So, Bonnie,” she said, “just out of curiosity, what do you have so far?”

Bonnie beamed brightly, perking up visibly at Alexa’s interest. “Well…”


	2. Trial - Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally recommend the Apollo Justice OST for this trial day.

April 20, 2022, 9:37 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“Arceus. I’m going to die. I’m _actually_ going to die.”

“That seems premature, Agent Hikari. Unless you were lying about the truthfulness of your plea?”

_My name is Miriam Shields. I am an ambassador for Team Rocket, though I am currently serving as an emergency defense attorney in a case involving the death of a Team Rocket researcher._

The black-haired man in Team Rocket uniform shook his head adamantly. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t lie about something like this. Still…”

_My client is Ryan Hikari, a Team Rocket agent with a… questionable past. However, his performance for Team Rocket has been exemplary, and given the identity of the victim…_

“I just can’t believe it,” Hikari continued. “I mean...I always knew the kid was gonna go before I did, but I always figured…” He shook his head sorrowfully. “ _Murdered._ Out of all of us, I can’t think of someone _less_ likely to make that sort of enemy.”

“Right now, Team Plasma believes _you_ are that sort of enemy,” I reminded him.

Hikari paled. “I know. And I know why. What I _don’t_ get is, why do they _care_?”

It was a good question, and I gave myself a fair moment to consider it. “Pride,” I concluded. “The murder took place within a site of historical significance to Unova, after they asked for our help in restoring it. They want to come down hard on the killer to clear themselves of any indication of foul play -- and as it so happens, pinning you as the culprit not only puts the blame squarely on Team Rocket, but also gives them leverage to punish you for your actions several years ago.”

Hikari nodded, wincing. “That… does make sense. I’m guessing that’s also why I’m being tried in Unovan court instead of a Rocket tribunal?”

“Precisely.”

A knock on the door gave a few moments’ warning before a black-uniformed bailiff entered the room. “They’re ready for you.”

“Very well.” I looked to my client. “Are you prepared, Mr. Hikari?”

He shrugged. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. Stay calm and tell the truth. I will prove your innocence.”

“I hope so. For both me… and my sibling.” 

\---------------

April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

 _ ***CLACK!***_ The judge’s gavel came down loudly upon the sounding block.

“Court is now in session. Is the prosecution ready?”

Across the courtroom from me, at the prosecutor’s bench, a lanky, blank-faced woman with long black-and-blonde hair gave a single stoic nod. “The prosecution stands ready, Your Honor.”

 _Amanda Zarth_ , I reminded myself. The Team Plasma bureaucrat was something of a legend amongst our field, and for good reason. Her cold, emotionless approach to her duties lent itself perfectly to an unflinching doggedness in pursuit of her objectives, to say nothing of her status as one of the three original pioneers of the now-famous Mega Evolution phenomenon. However, despite all appearances there was more to the woman than her stoicism, and I was not about to be remiss in my duty of exposing it.

“Objection!” I called out. “Knight Zarth’s record speaks for itself, but I’m afraid I must object to her role as prosecutor on the grounds of her personal connection to the participants of the case.”

Before the judge could do more than open his mouth in reply, Zarth raised a silencing hand. “Your objection is illogical,” she stated impassively. “It is rooted in the notion that I will allow emotion to cloud my judgement. However, the very record that you mentioned clearly notates the circumstances in which my emotions even exist, and appropriate measures have already been taken to ensure that those circumstances cannot be fulfilled.”

I nodded reasonably. This was an argument I’d already known was destined to fail, but due diligence still required that I make it. A brief glance at Hikari, however, showed that he had not made that conclusion, and the concern was leeching the color out from under his grave facade. Unfortunately, I could not afford to reassure him, so I turned my attention instead to the magnificently blonde-bearded judge at the head of the courtroom.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this…” he muttered. “But if the record is clear…”

“It is,” Zarth stated.

“Then I have no choice but to overrule your objection.” The judge shook his head. “An objection before even the confirmation of readiness… I’m not sure how I feel about that.” The man sighed. “On that note… is the defense ready?”

I nodded confidently. “The defense is prepared, Your Honor.”

“Good. Now, Ms. Shields, I understand that you are not a resident of Unova?”

“Yes, Your Honor. I am a member of Team Rocket in the Kanto regions. I was retained for this trial at my organization’s request, due to my client’s affiliation with our organization.”

“I understand. That being the case, are you familiar with the trial system here in Unova?”

I nodded once again. “It is similar to that of my own region. In fact, if I recall my history, Kanto was the original pioneer of the Three-Day Trial System, with other participating regions adopting it after the fact.”

The judge seemed startled by the information. “Our court system isn’t a Unovan invention? I’m not sure what I think of that…”

I frowned slightly. _Shouldn’t the judge be an expert in his own region’s legal history?_ I shook off the mental question as irrelevant. “Your Honor…?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes. Very well. Will the prosecution explain the details of the case?”

“Indeed,” Zarth intoned. The prosecutor picked up a sheet of paper from her bench and began to speak. “The crime occurred on the evening of August 18th, in Relic Castle. The expedition team of which both the defendant and the victim were a part failed to report in to their superiors, staying on-site for several hours past their prescribed deadline of occupation. By the time any members of the expedition made contact with the authorities, Alex Zyther was already dead, their body sealed in one of the sarcophagi. The defendant, Ryan Hikari, was the only person to leave the scene of the crime during this window, and was also the last person to see the victim alive. Given these details, the defendant is the only viable suspect.”

“The only viable suspect, eh? I see. Does the prosecution have any evidence to support its claims?”

“Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Team Plasma Knight Jenny Hakuda-Tierra to the stand to present the findings of Team Plasma’s investigation.”

A wave of whispers rippled across the courtroom, silenced only by the loud **_*CLACK*_** of the judge’s gavel. “Very well. Bailiff? Please bring in Knight Hakuda-Tierra.”

 _This is it,_ I thought to myself. _Here is where the trial truly begins._

\---------------

After a few minutes’ delay, a red-haired woman with glasses and a Plasma Knight’s uniform was escorted to the stand, where she stood stoically with her hands folded calmly atop its surface. _A bold choice, given how blatantly those hands could betray any emotional reactions to her statement. She is confident in her testimony._

The judge cleared his throat. “Witness, please state your name and profession to the court.”

The woman nodded. “Knight Jenny Hakuda-Tierra of Team Plasma. I was one of the Team Plasma agents in charge of the initial investigation.”

“Very well. Please present your findings to this court.”

Another curt nod, this time followed by Hakuda-Tierra making eye contact with both Zarth and me. “Both the defendant and the victim were part of an archaeological expedition into Relic Castle conducted in joint cooperation between Team Plasma and Team Rocket. On the night of the crime, the team made their second-to-last check-in at 6:00 PM, but missed the 8PM check-in that was supposed to mark their departure from the site. Contact was not re-established until the following morning at 5:17 AM when incoming Team Plasma investigators met two of the expedition members at the entrance to the ruins--”

 

“Hold, please,” I called. “Is there a reason Team Plasma did not investigate immediately upon the missed check-in?”

“Yes. There was a large earthquake recorded at around 7:45 PM that evening. It was assumed that the team’s long-range transmitter had been damaged, and that the report would come in once the expedition was within cell signal range of Nimbasa City.”

This time it was Zarth who interrupted. “Please elaborate for the benefit of the court.”

“The desert surrounding Relic Castle is notorious for its poor to nonexistent signal reception. While local calls within the desert can usually get through, communication with the outside world usually requires a specialized transmitter unit.”

“I take it the expedition had one of these… transmitter things?”

“Yes, Your Honor. However, our investigation of the scene found that the unit had been completely destroyed by falling debris.”

“Very well. The witness may continue.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. As I was saying, Team Plasma investigators met two of the expedition members at the entrance to the Desert Resort, where they were both escorted to Nimbasa City for statements and treatment of injuries. The remaining investigators began searching the ruins for the missing members of the expedition. Upon spotting a trail of blood, they discovered the body of Alex Zyther, sealed in one of the sarcophagi by unknown means.”

I spotted my chance. “Objection!” I called out. “Do you mean to tell us that the prosecution has not even examined the body before bringing this case to trial?”

Hakuda-Tierra tensed, hesitating as she spoke. “The sarcophagus in question has so far proven impossible to breach. How-however, we were able to positively identify the victim. There was a pool of blood at the base of the sarcophagus, leaking from a small hole at its bottom, and the blood was identified as belonging to Alex Zyther.”

I paused, considering my options. “All right,” I conceded, “so the victim has been identified. How, then, do you claim that the victim was killed?”

“I…” Hakuda-Tierra exchanged a glance with Zarth, who answered for her.

“At this time the prosecution believes the victim died of blood loss from an injury sustained prior to the earthquake. Since the victim was trapped in the sarcophagus, they had no opportunity to seek medical attention for their injuries, resulting in their death.”

“But you have no autopsy report to confirm this.”

“Correct.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what to think of this. Defense, do you still object to the witness’ statement?”

It took me a moment to think about my angle of attack -- and the potential consequences of taking it. “I do. Your Honor, given the lack of concrete evidence -- vital evidence, I might add, necessary to virtually any trial of this nature -- I do not believe we can take Knight Hakuda-Tierra’s testimony as valid, especially considering the adversarial relationship between her and the defendant.”

“What??” came the outburst -- unfortunate, but expected -- from the defendant’s chair.

“Wh-- now hold on just a minute here--”

Zarth, frustratingly, failed to react at all.

I pushed onward. “Mrs. Hakuda-Tierra, were you or were you not attacked by Mr. Hikari with intent to injure during late 2016?”

“I… well, yes, but--”

“Did he or did he not steal one of your Pokémon in a subsequent encounter?”

“Hey, he ended up a better Trainer for her than I ever could have, and since I got Boarlite it was practically a trade--”

“And were you or were you not present when Hikari summoned Zekrom at Dragonspiral Tower, resulting in the subsequent temporary death of your husband and the mass destruction across most of southeast Unova?”

“I… he… I was…”

Hikari could only stare at me in open-mouthed horror.

Zarth cleared her throat. “Objection, while I fully acknowledge the defense’s admission of the defendant’s past criminal behavior, I fail to recognize its relevance to Knight Hakuda’s testimony.”

“My point, Prosecutor, is that Knight Hakuda-Tierra has every reason to hold a grudge against my client despite his rehabilitation. While I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt based on her well-known public record, at this point her conjecture-filled testimony seems highly likely to be based more on personal animosity than on solid facts. For heaven’s sake, you have yet to establish that my client was even _there_ , let alone means, motive, and opportunity!”

“I see. Very well. Your Honor, while the prosecution objects to the defense’s characterization of Knight Hakuda-Tierra and her testimony, the defense raises a valid point regarding the establishment of the defendant’s location at the time of the murder. To that end, the prosecution would like to call a second witness to clarify this point.”

“Hmm. Very well. Mrs. Hakuda-Tierra, you may step down for now. The prosecution may call its second witness.”

A nod from Zarth. “The prosecution calls Belle LaDonna to the stand.”

\---------------

A somewhat ragged-looking violet-haired woman was escorted to the stand in Hakuda-Tierra’s place. Her gaze darted across the room nervously, calming slightly upon sighting something in the gallery. Before I could turn to spot the source of her calm, however, I was interrupted by the **_*CLACK*_** of the gavel once more.

“Witness, please state your name and profession to the court.”

“Right. I’m Belle, Belle LaDonna. I’m a mercenary.”

“Ms. Ladonna operates amongst the criminal element, Your Honor. She’s most commonly known as a thief for hire.”

“I resent that!” LaDonna objected. 

“Ms. LaDonna,” Zarth said, ignoring the outburst, “please describe your actions on the night of the murder.”

“Well… okay, so that night, I snuck into the castle, lookin’ for something valuable to steal.”

“Objection!” I shouted. “Clearly the witness was not provided proper counsel and informed of her fifth amendment rights. This is a blatant breach of--”

“On the contrary, Ms. Shields,” Zarth interrupted. “Ms. LaDonna was fully informed of her rights and chose to waive them. She is providing her testimony in exchange for immunity for the crimes she’s revealing therein.”

“Fine,” I snapped, seething with rage over Zarth’s underhanded tactic.

“I’m not sure what I think about this…” the judge said, shaking his head. “Witness, you may continue.”

“Right. Anyway, I was on one of the upper floors… well, upper compared to the new stuff, it was pretty far down…”

Zarth raised a hand, indicating for the witness to pause. “For sake of clarity, the prosecution would like to submit this diagram of the castle’s layout into evidence.”

The judge spared me a glance and nodded once it was clear I would not be raising an objection. “The court accepts this evidence.”

I looked down at the copy of the diagram my client had provided me before the trial. While certain portions of it seemed confusingly laid out, particularly the transitions on the fifth and sixth levels and the labyrinth on the seventh, I already knew that the primary points of interest would be the relatively simple southernmost row of rooms on the seventh floor, the easternmost of which connected to the new section Zyther’s expedition had been excavating.

“Er, right,” LaDonna said, eyeing the holographic projection of the diagram uncertainly. “Well, I came in right here,” she said, pointing to the westernmost room of the southern row, “through the Relic Passage between Driftveil and Castelia.”

The judge frowned at this. “I was under the impression that that portion of Relic Passage had caved in five years ago?”

LaDonna smirked. “A… friend… lent me some help. And that’s all I’ll say on that.” She carefully did _not_ look at the section of the gallery behind me, and I in turn carefully suppressed a frown at not having the opportunity to see who she was here with. “But that’s not important. What is important is what happened when I got inside. There’s a chamber just beneath the maze, right in the middle, and that’s what I went for. After maybe five minutes, though, I heard a crash out behind me. I ran out to the southern room, and that’s when I saw I wasn’t alone.” She pointed to the western room again. “Right there, blocking my escape route, was Ray Hakuda, and over here…” Dread coiled in my gut as I saw the witness’ indication move all the way to the east. “…Here on the east side, I saw the defendant come out of the new passage.”

I mentally cursed my horrible luck before opening my mouth to object, only for Zarth to preempt me. “You are certain you saw the defendant coming through this passage from the south?”

“Yup. Plain as day.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what to think about this. Is there some significance to this particular passage?”

Zarth nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. The passage in question, opening to the south from the easternmost room of the row, is the newly-opened path that leads to the lower section that the expedition was investigating. It was the discovery of this passage and the previously-undiscovered floors beneath that led to the expedition being formed in the first place. It is thus far the only method of entrance or egress for the excavation site, and thus places the defendant squarely at the scene of the crime.”

The judge nodded. “I see. Witness, what happened after that?”

“Well,” LaDonna said, scowling, “after that the defendant ran up, read me my rights, and cuffed me. Him and Hakuda carted me up the west staircase outta the ruins, and after they called the Zyther girl over we all hiked outta the desert before they turned me over to Plasma.”

My mind raced, rushing through options to try and find one that would discredit LaDonna’s condemning testimony. “Objection,” I stated, hoping my calm would hide my uncertainty. “Ms. LaDonna just testified that my client was her arresting officer. There is clearly a hostile relationship between my client and the witness, which once again calls into question her objectivity--”

“I’ll show you objectivity, you--”

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“That’s enough,” the judge ordered. “Ms. Zarth, do you have a rebuttal to the defense’s argument?”

The prosecutor nodded. “I do. As previously stated, Ms. LaDonna has been granted immunity in exchange for her testimony. Because of this, she faces no legal consequences for her actions, and thus possesses no motive to falsify her testimony against the defendant.”

“Hmm…” The judge stroked his long, luxurious blonde beard, deep in consideration. “I’m afraid I must agree with the prosecution’s position, Ms. Shields. Objection overruled.”

I bit back a hiss of frustration. That had been my best angle of attack, and without a way to dismiss LaDonna’s testimony it certainly painted my client in a seriously suspicious light. I scrambled for a secondary solution as the judge continued.

“Does the defense wish to cross-examine the witness?”

I pored over LaDonna’s statement in my mind. “Of course,” I bluffed, still trying to find a hole in the testimony. “Ms. LaDonna, when exactly did you enter Relic Castle?”

She shrugged. “Couldn’t say. It was dark before I went in, and was still dark when they dragged me out.”

“This puts the witness’ entrance at some time after the expedition’s final check-in at 6:00 PM,” Zarth interjected.

Unfortunately, the answer still failed to give me useful material. “Did you have any indication you weren’t alone in the ruins at that time?”

“Nope. I didn’t even know Alex was part of the expedition until after I was in jail, let alone actually excavating at the time. If I’d know, I wouldn’t’ve interfered, I like the kid too much.” She paused. “Liked,” she corrected sadly.

 _And that eliminates any chance she could be the killer, either,_ I noted with some frustration, _even I have to admit she’s being sincere._ I reluctantly gave up and moved on to my final point of inquiry. “You mentioned hearing a crash that led you out of the inner chamber, do you know what caused it?”

LaDonna’s brow furrowed as she considered the question. “Can’t say I do. Or, well, I know one of the vases next to the chamber entrance broke, but I couldn’t tell you what caused it. Sorry.”

“I see.” I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my voice, and Zarth immediately capitalized on it.

“It is apparent that the defense has exhausted their line of questioning. The prosecution requests that the witness be dismissed.”

“Granted.” The judge slammed his gavel with a **_*CLACK*_**. “This concludes the cross-examination of the witness. Ms. LaDonna, you may step down.”

I crossed my arms, frowning, but knew I had no ground to stand on for an objection. Unfortunately, an objection was exactly what I really _needed_ , otherwise the judge would--

“I see no reason to prolong this trial any further. While I’m not sure what I think about the prosecution’s lackluster initial investigation, Ms. LaDonna’s testimony clearly puts the defendant at the scene of the crime, a scene with no other way in or out. Such decisive testimony is more than enough for me to render my verdict. With that in mind, I pronounce the defendant, Ryan Hikari--”

“HOLD IT!”

My gaze jerked to the just-opened courtroom doors, a bedraggled strawberry-blonde woman standing desperately between them.

The judge seemed significantly confused. “Who exactly is this?”

“Lucia Zyther, Your Honor. I was one of the Team Rocket agents participating in the expedition. And I have significant testimony I must deliver before we conclude this trial.”

“I’m not sure what I think of this…” the judge muttered. “Very well. We will have a short recess, after which Ms. Zyther will deliver her testimony.”

**_*CLACK!*_ **

\---------------

April 20, 2022  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“What the frick-frack was that?!”

My pacing paused, I turned my attention to the unhappy Hikari who stood staring at me with a mixture of rage and incomprehension. I tensed slightly -- Hikari hadn’t earned his reputation as the Sinner of Wrath for nothing -- but fortunately the latter emotion seemed to be more dominant. “A necessary gambit,” I explained. “In court, only two things matter: evidence, and testimony. If I can discredit something the prosecution presents, then those are tools the prosecution can’t use toward conviction.”

Hikari paused at that, considering, then slowly nodded. “I think I understand. But that’s a two-sided Stone Edge. If you get their testimony dismissed, then you also can’t use it against them later.”

I blinked, not expecting that level of legal articulation from him. “That’s… of course. But it’s still a useful tactic.”

Hikari sighed. “I’m more than my muscle, Ambassador Shields. I had hoped by this point we knew each other better than that.”

“…You’re right,” I said. “I apologize, Agent Hikari.”

Before either of us could continue, the doors to the lobby burst open to admit an intruder. “Ryan!”

“Lucia? Sis, what were you thinking, you should be in the hospital--”

Agent Zyther’s eyes blazed with determination. “It was a _sprain_ , Ryan, not a chest wound. I’m _not_ going to let something I can treat myself keep me from being a good sister. Not after…” Zyther’s eyes brimmed with tears. “It’s just so _wrong_. Alex was _just_ here, and now they’re…”

Hikari nodded. “It doesn’t seem real, does it?”

Lucia sniffled, but the fire in her eyes still shone through the tears. “I won’t let them take you away. I’ve already lost one sibling, I won’t lose my brother too.”

“You should be aware,” I interjected, “that when your testimony proves beneficial to my cl-- to Ryan, the prosecution will likely try to strike it down just as I attempted against Knight Hakuda-Tierra.”

The grin Zyther gave was positively _vicious_ , a burning tear-stained visage of such pure malice that it bordered on the demonic. I did my best not to give in to the sudden impulse to back as far away as possible. “Let her try. She’s managed to sweep something crucial under the rug so far. I intend to drag it screaming into the light.”

Even Hikari appeared unnerved. “Uh, sis? ‘First do no harm’?”

“Screw the Oath,” she declared. “They’re trying to take what’s mine. _They can’t have it._ ”

“Agent Zyther,” a familiar cold voice stated, “you are required in questioning.”

If looks could kill, Castelia City would have been ashes.

Zarth, however, was unfazed. “Immediately,” she added, forcing Zyther to leave despite her spiteful reluctance. Zarth turned to follow, but was stopped by an interjection.

“Amanda, wait!” Hikari called. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

Zarth regarded Hikari with her usual impassivity -- no, wait. Was that… _disdain_? An actual emotion from Plasma’s Queen of Steel? “I should think,” she stated, “that my interest in this matter would be obvious.” Without another word, Zarth turned and left.

“...Huh.”

I frowned, attempting to piece together Zarth’s behavior. I was interrupted by Hikari’s sudden loud curse.

“She took Lucia!” he seethed. “We didn’t get her testimony.”

I bit back my own impulse to follow suit in profanity. “Right. You were both present -- do you have any idea what her testimony might entail?”

Hikari briefly shook his head, but then reconsidered. “Well… maybe. She and I were stationed at the two entrances to the castle, but she sprained her ankle fighting off a wild Golett -- that’s why I called in Ray.”

“Hakuda,” I half-asked, receiving a nod of confirmation in reply. “Hakuda-Tierra’s brother, right?”

“Who -- oh, you mean Jenny. Yeah.” Hikari paused. “I forget sometimes that people don’t automatically know about our families. I mean, half my siblings don’t even have the same last name as me.”

“Like you and the Zythers?”

“Yeah. Lucia and I are full siblings, but we didn’t actually know that until a few years back. Mom hid her from my father for… reasons. Later on, my half-sister Chloe was born, and then a _lot_ later on Mom adopted Alex with Lucia’s stepfather while she was in hiding pretending to be Chloe’s birth mother.” Hikari stopped suddenly, blinking a few times at the sheer absurdity of what he’d just said. “…Maybe we should write this down…”

“Already noted,” I assured him. “You were saying?”

“Right. Anyway, I got this call…”

\---------------

April 20, 2022  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“Court is now back in session. Prosecutor?”

Zarth nodded. “The prosecution has no objections to the defense’s witness at this time.”

“The defense’s witness, you say?”

 _Clever._ I granted Zarth. _She’s simultaneously granted herself cross-examination and painted the witness as biased._ Still, it was in my client’s best interest to play along, so I did not contradict her.

“That’s correct,” Zarth confirmed. “Agent Zyther wishes to speak up in defense of the accused. Given her relationship to the victim, I do not see the harm in humoring her.”

“She was also part of the victim and defendant’s expedition at the time of the murder,” I reminded the judge. “Her testimony is materially relevant to this case.”

“Very well. Witness, please state your name and occupation to the court.”

Agent Zyther stepped up to the stand, thankfully less blatantly murderous than she had been earlier. “I am Team Rocket Agent Lucia Zyther. As the defense has so kindly stated, I was part of the expedition to Relic Castle.”

The judge frowned. “Zyther, Zyther… I’m not sure why that name is… wait. _Zyther_? As in…?”

“Yes. Alex Zyther is -- was -- my younger sibling.”

Murmuring broke out throughout the gallery.

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“Hmm… I’m not sure what I think of this. Very well. Witness, you may begin your testimony.”

Zyther nodded curtly, squaring her shoulders. “On the day of the crime, I was one of four Team Rocket agents participating in the expedition. Two of us were assigned to archaeological examination, while two of us -- including me -- were assigned to remain at the ruins entrances and stay on guard.”

“Hold,” Zarth commanded. “For the record, was the defendant an archaeologist, or was he on guard duty?”

“Guard duty. I was stationed at the main entrance, while Ryan was guarding the access shaft.”

“Access shaft?” the judge asked.

Zyther indicated the western entrance on the holographic image of the map. “It’s the shaft Alex had to use, thanks to their disabilities -- the other route would have been impossible for them.”

“I see. Please continue.”

“Everything was normal for most of the day, but then night fell. A while after our last check-in, a bunch of Golett came up out of the sand and started attacking me. I called Ryan in for backup, but I sprained my ankle before he could get there. He ended up calling for Ray -- Ray Hakuda, I mean -- to take over for him so he could stay with me himself. Right after Ray got to us, though, Ryan got a call on his Pokégear.”

“Objection,” Amanda stated. “Agent Hikari’s Pokégear was examined during the course of the initial investigation. No record of a call during the requisite time frame exists, whether on his device or on provider call records.”

“Objection!” I countered. “The defense would like to remind the court that cell service in the Desert Resort is effectively nonexistent without the use of a long-range transmitter, but short-range calls between two devices within the desert can occur, which would leave no record with the provider. Furthermore, local call records can be erased or corrupted -- thus, a lack of a record does not prove that a call did not take place.”

“Perhaps. But without such a record the testimony lacks corroborating evidence.”

“I’m not sure what I think of this,” the judge said. “Witness, do you have a response to Prosecutor Zarth’s objection?”

“Calls leave a log on both ends,” Zyther said with deceptive calmness. “This one was from Alex.”

Gasps and murmurs once again filled the courtroom. It took the judge some time to regain order.

**_*CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!*_ **

“Order! Order in the court!”

I made my move. “Alex Zyther’s body has yet to be recovered,” I reminded the court. “Thus, for the same reason their Holo Caster has also yet to be recovered. It is more than possible that the record of the call in question is sealed within that tomb.”

The judge nodded. “I’m afraid I must agree with the defense, Prosecutor. Your objection is overruled. Witness, you may continue.”

“The call was really fuzzy, but we could hear shouting and the sounds of a struggle. We were all really worried, so Ryan went in the entrance I’d been guarding while Ray left for the access shaft entrance.”

“That is consistent with Ms. LaDonna’s testimony. Did you join them inside?”

Zyther shook her head. “I was injured, and the main path is too treacherous to risk with a sprained ankle. At this point it’s practically one-way even for people in good shape, so there was no way I could make it in and out. We decided it’d be best for me to stay outside in case we needed to call for backup -- that’s when we discovered the transmitter had been damaged in the scuffle with the Golett.”

“So to confirm,” Zarth interjected, “you were not present in the ruins with the others at any point.”

Zyther’s jaw set as she stared Zarth down, an unreadable expression on her face. “No. But I do know someone who was. Someone who was in the castle with Alex the whole time, who I can _guarantee_ will have useful testimony: the fourth member of our expedition.”

The judge’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand -- I thought your fourth member was Mr. Hakuda?”

Zyther shook her head again. “No. Ray is Ryan’s friend -- well, more Chloe’s, but only by technicality. Our fourth member was my partner in Team Rocket, who was assigned to help Alex’s archaeological study. Jamie Arthur.”

The judge looked to Zarth in confusion. “I did not see a ‘Jamie Arthur’ on the list of potential witnesses, yet Agent Zyther claims she has useful testimony. Can you explain this discrepancy?”

“I can,” Zyther interrupted angrily. “It’s because she’s written her off already, focused on _attacking my brother_ instead of saving Jamie’s life!”

The courtroom burst into disarray.

“Your brother?”

“That is--”

“Lucia--”

**_*CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!*_ **

“Order! There will be order!” The judge waited a few moments for the murmuring to die down. “Witness, explain yourself!”

“Jamie _never came out of the ruins_! We _need_ to find her, and instead of doing that we’re standing here accusing my brother of a crime he would _never_ commit! It’s absurd!”

“The defense itself acknowledged--”

“Can it, Zarth--”

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“Witness, you are out of line. Take a deep breath and calm yourself, eh?” The judge waited for Zyther to comply before continuing. “Now, there is something this court needs to know. Who, exactly, are you referring to when you speak of your brother?”

“Ryan. Ryan Hikari is my brother.” Zyther glared at Zarth, daring her to make the obvious play.

To my surprise, Zarth seemed poised to comply. “Agent Zyther--”

“Wait a moment,” the judge ordered. “You and the defendant are siblings? But your names… I’m not sure what to think of this…”

I held up the notes I’d made earlier with Hikari’s help. “If it pleases the court, I’d like to present this written testimony of the Hikari-Zyther family structure into evidence.”

The judge nodded his assent. “Very well.” After taking a minute to read through the explanation, he shook his head. “I’m not sure _what_ to think of all that. It seems so… fantastical.”

Zyther shrugged. “It’s true. Every word of it.”

The judge shook his head again. “My deepest condolences, then. Prosecutor, you had something to add?”

Zarth hesitated, but had no choice but to press on. “Your Honor, in light of this information, the prosecution wishes to strike Agent Zyther’s testimony from the record.”

“Under what grounds?” I challenged, though I already knew her answer.

“As the witness and the defendant are siblings, it seems likely that this relationship has biased her perspective on the defendant.”

“Could you explain, precisely, how?”

Zarth seemed confused by my deliberate obtuseness. “As stated, they are siblings. Familial relationships tend to predispose siblings to protect each other from outside circumstances in an attempt to prevent each other harm--”

“I see.” I turned my attention to the judge. “Your Honor, under Prosecutor Zarth’s reasoning just now, I move to have all charges against my client dismissed -- after all, he and the victim are _also_ siblings.”

The courtroom exploded into murmurs of shock, though thankfully this time it was only a minority who’d failed to make the connection. The judge once again silenced them with a **_*CLACK!*_** of his gavel.

“Hmm.” The judge stroked his luxurious blonde playoff beard. “I’m not quite sure what I think of all this. Truth be told, I have been less than satisfied with the case the prosecution has built thus far -- but the fact of the matter remains that the defendant was seen leaving the scene of the crime by an eyewitness, and thus far the defense has failed to satisfactorily explain this detail. The defense has, however, thrown serious doubt upon Agent Hikari’s motive, and in light of both that and the possibility of this Jamie Arthur as a second eyewitness, I am ordering both parties to conduct further investigation before the trial resumes tomorrow. Until then, this court is adjourned.”

**_*CLACK!*_ **


	3. Interlude

August 7, 2017  
Team Plasma Headquarters, Black City, Unova  
Press Briefing Room

“Okay!” Alexa said brightly, steepling her fingers in front of her mouth. “So, notes… isn’t it a little… _weird_ to be writing fanfiction about real people?”

Bonnie shrugged off the implied critique. “Nah, it’s not _really_ real people, it’s just characters using their names. Besides, they’re not allowed to get mad since they’re famous, so they have to just get used to people writing stuff about them. …That’s… how you said journalism works, right?”

“…I think I’m a bad influence on you.”

Their conversation was diverted as a baby-faced young man in a suit a size too large stepped up to the podium, tapped the microphone twice in test, and then stepped back to allow a slightly balding bespectacled man in a years-outdated formal uniform to take his place. The man -- who Alexa and the other veteran reporters knew was _not_ Team Plasma’s press secretary -- leaned forward and spoke with nervous hesitation. “I, er. I’d like to apologize, to everyone present? Unfortunately, the Team Plasma press secretary is not prepared to deliver any further statements at this time. Again, I, ah, _we_ , would like to extend our apologies, as well as our thanks for your continued patience. We will endeavor to prepare a fuller statement as soon as reasonably possible. Thank you.” The man allowed his assistant to turn off the mic, and the pair soon beat a hasty retreat.

Bonnie frowned at the uncharacteristically shoddy display. “…That’s it?”

Alexa nodded with a sigh. “That’s it.”

“That’s _disgraceful!_ ”

The ace reporter pressed a hand to her mouth to conceal her giggle, then stood and began to leave the room. “Come on. We’ll ask around to see if we can’t pick up something less official. They’re not usually this unprepared.”

The apprentice considered this for a moment. “Maybe they’re just useless without Miss Zarth?”

Alexa shook her head in amusement. “I wouldn’t go that far. But her reassignment _was_ sudden, and between that and the logistical problems of the outage, it’s possible that Plasma’s public relations department is in mild disarray.”

Bonnie nodded, seeing her mentor’s point. “Team Plasma does tend to rely on teleporters more than other regions’ governments, don’t they?”

“They do. Which is why I’m willing to cut them some slack.” Almost on cue, her Helioptile tugged on her sleeve, pointing out the bespectacled Rook who’d spoken earlier conversing with a few other Plasma personnel in a tucked-away corner of the lobby. “Ah, good eye, thank you. Bonnie, mind staying with Helioptile for a moment?” Without waiting for a reply, she strode off, waving to the man to gain his attention. “Rook Kingsley!”

Bonnie watched Alexa leave, brow furrowing as she noticed several of the other reporters making similar conversation with other Plasma officials around the area. She cocked her head in consideration, idly chewing the end of her pencil as she lost herself in thought. At a nudge from Helioptile, she quickly moved to a plush chair in the waiting area, opening up her Holo Caster again and beginning to type…


	4. Investigation - Day 2

April 20, 2022, 2:03 P.M.  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courthouse Entrance

“Well, that went… not terribly.”

I shook my head, unconvinced. “That trial was a disaster on all fronts. Are all Unova cases this… chaotic?”

Agent Zyther shrugged. “So far, this has been my first experience.” She shot a fiery glare toward the conglomeration of reporters surrounding Knight Zarth. “I’m not impressed.”

Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t help but smile. “Understandable.” A moment later, I found myself frowning in consideration. “Did you want to go to the Detention Center to visit your brother? I’d like to touch base with him, but I could potentially put it off to give you time to see him.”

Zyther shook her head. “No. I’m going to the ruins. We need to find Jamie.”

“Good. Ah’ll help.”

I looked up suddenly, seeing a strangely familiar-looking redhead leaning casually against the doorframe leading outside. “Excuse me? Wait a moment, I think I recognize you…”

“Amelia Zann,” she said, sweeping an invisible hat from her head to make an exaggerated bow. “Ah don’t think ah need to explain my int’rest in the case?”

Zyther was already shaking her head. “It’ll be good to have you, Amelia,” Zyther said. “And… I’m sorry.”

Zann shrugged. “Ain’t’cher fault. Ain’t Ryan’s neither. Someone’s pullin’ somethin’ screwy, an’ I intend t’ pay ‘em back -- with int’rest.” The roguish woman affixed me with a steely stare. “Gonna be straight. Ah ain’t th’ biggest fan’a what y’all pulled in there. But I get it. Y’all do what’cha gotta. Ah c’n respect that. So ‘til we work out what happened to the kid, consider me at’cher service.”

“Ms. Zann,” I said, somewhat awkwardly, “while I appreciate your offer, I’m not really sure I can--”

“No,” Zyther interjected, “it’s fine. I’ve worked with her before. Trust me, she’s worth having along.”

“Also? Wasn’t a suggestion. Ah’m comin’ ‘long, like it ‘r not. Y’can fight me, or y’can ‘cept th’ help an’ move on.”

I shook my head wearily, recognizing a lost argument when I saw one. “Very well. It’s against my better judgement, but I really don’t have the time to argue.”

“That’s right,” Zyther agreed “Jamie’s still out there. Come on, if we hurry we can investigate the desert while it’s still daylight.”

I gestured my two new companions to the door. “Lead the way.”

\---------------

April 20, 2022, 3:37 P.M.  
Relic Castle, Desert Resort, Unova  
Eighth Floor

“Lovely place, this. C’n really see why th’ kid wanted t’ visit.”

Next to me, Agent Zyther shrugged. “Alex was always a scholar. They said being locked up in the hospital so much gave them a thirst for knowledge about the world.”

I gave Zyther an appraising look. “They weren’t the only one, were they?”

Zyther shrugged with practiced, falsified casualness. “It was important to Alex. I just helped.”

There were magnitudes of meaning behind that statement, but I got enough to recognize the importance Zyther placed on their bond. I decided to edge away from the clearly still-raw subject. “So what did you pick up from helping, then?”

The agent considered the question a moment before pointing to a row of indecipherable glyphs running along the top of the walls. “See those runes? They’re not just for decoration. According to Alex, this part of the level was a dungeon for both people and Pokémon. The runes prevent anyone from coming in or out of the block unless it’s through the designated entrance.”

“So _that’s_ why the cops didn’t have a pop-stopper set up…”

I frowned at Zann. “Pop… stopper?”

“Anti-teleport Pokémon,” Zyther explained.

“Ah. A Hoenn term, I take it?”

Zann exchanged a glance with Zyther. “…Sure, we’ll go with that.”

I was quickly forming an impression of Zann as a less than reputable sort of individual. 

“So, a dungeon, eh? ‘Splains all the statu--” Zann cursed loudly as she tripped over one of the aforementioned statues’ severed limbs.

“Graceful,” Zyther remarked. She pointedly ignored Zann’s return glare.

I knelt to examine the offending article, a roughly-hewn stone arm wrapped in aged-yellow gauze. Surprisingly, the fabric was largely just as flexible as any modern creation.

Zann noted the bandages with interest. “Don’t make it like they used to, eh? Pity their maintenance budget went t’ the cloth rather’n th’ stuff wearin’ it.”

I noticed Zyther rolling her eyes in fond amusement out of the corner of my eye, but the bulk of my focus went to the carnage of ruined statues lying before us. “Zann, Zyther,” I asked, “does all this look… normal, to you?”

Both women frowned, with Zann being the first to shrug. “Can’t say I see anythin’ _not_ normal. Hunnerds’a years or whatever, ‘m s’prised any of ‘em’re still standin’.”

“But they are,” Zyther noted. “Most of them, in fact. It’s part of why this chamber was such a find.”

Zann’s brow furrowed in comprehension. “So what took ‘em down…?”

I finally spotted the russet streaks I’d been scanning for, outlined in scraps of torn gauze. I snapped a few pictures before pointing them out to the others. “I believe we’ve found what we’re looking for.”

“The crime scene…” Zyther murmured.

“Right,” Zann said. “So, clearly somethin’ happened here. Some kinda fight wrecked a bunch’a statues, an’ someone started bleedin’.”

“Alex,” I supplied. “The forensic report did testing.”

“All right. So the trail hits a couple more statues an’ then goes…?” Zann squinted into the darkness down the corridor. “Lucia, what’s down that way?”

“Morgue, we think,” Zyther replied. “There’s a large number of coffins, and what looks to be a sealed crematorium next to it -- there’s a pair of Lampent images where the handles would be, and a sea of fire beneath them.”

“Coffins…” I mused. “Including the one with…?” At Lucia’s hesitant nod, I pursed my lips. “We need to investigate. Will you be able to handle it?”

“Absolutely not,” a familiarly monotone voice decreed. I cursed mentally.

Zann cursed aloud. “Amanda. What are you _thinking_?”

“You will contaminate the crime scene. You should not be here.”

“Hey, that goes for you, too, you know!”

“I am authorized to investigate the incident, Amelia. You are not.”

“She has asked to assist my investigation,” I interjected. “I concluded her assistance would be helpful.” _Or at the very least, more helpful than her uncooperative interference,_ I mentally added.

“Irrelevant,” Zarth declared. “Your investigation of this area is ended. Knight Hakuda-Tierra will escort you out.”

“Amanda, wait!” Zyther and Zann yelled in unison. After a moment’s confused pause, Zyther gestured for Zann to go first.

“…Yes?”

“Amanda. Y’all’re bein’ too danged hasty. I know ya wanna catch Alex’s killer, but yer so focused on hittin’ hard an’ fast that yer missin’ th’ basic _facts_! That ain’t no way to go!”

“Your criticism has been noted. You will now leave.”

“Amanda…” Zyther said. “Amanda, please. I _need_ to find Jamie. You _know_ I’m not going to interfere with anything, you can watch me yourself, even, just… _please_.”

Zarth stared at Zyther for several long moments. “Very well. I will escort you on your search.” She turned to the Knight beside her. “Hakuda-Tierra, please escort these two out of the ruins. Ensure they do not return.”

Hakuda-Tierra nodded unhappily. “All right.” As Zarth and Zyther departed into the darkness, Hakuda-Tierra stepped forward and turned to us. “Come on,” she said, “I’m in enough trouble already, so… please come quietly?”

It wasn’t a pleasant trip.

\---------------

April 20, 2022, 4:13 P.M.  
Desert Resort, Route 4, Unova  
Relic Castle Entrance

“I understand why you did it, but--”

“Jenny?”

“Ray!” Hakuda-Tierra rushed forward to embrace the spiky orange-haired man waiting outside the ruins entrance. “Everything’s been so crazy, I haven’t had a chance to come see you.”

“It’s fine, I get why things would be crazy for you. How are you holding up?”

Hakuda-Tierra tried not to flinch, and shot me a glance. “It’s been rough. Court is… not fun.”

Zann snorted. “Y’all got that right.”

“Zann,” the man greeted, “good to see you again.”

“Likewise, Hakuda.”

“You’re new,” Hakuda noted. “I think Ryan’s talked about you before. Miriam Shields?”

I nodded. “You must be Ray Hakuda. I’m glad I ran into you, I’d like to ask you some questions about the night of Agent Zyther’s murder.”

Hakuda sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

“I was just escorting these two to the Detention Center to talk with Ryan. Did you want to come along? Actually, come to think of it…” The Plasma agent unhooked a Pokéball from her belt and held it out to her brother. “Did you want to trade back now, or…?”

“Oh, right!” Hakuda quickly fished out a ball of his own and swapped it with his sister’s. “Thanks, by the way. She helped a lot.”

“Anytime.”

I found myself raising an eyebrow. “Helped what, may I ask?”

Hakuda pulled open one side of his jacket, revealing a gold-and-orange Gym Badge in the shape of a crowned lightning bolt. “My team has a real problem with Electric-types, so Jenny lent me Sandlite in trade for Aizen.”

“Krookodile?” Zann guessed. “Good pick. Been thinkin’ ‘bout pickin’ up a Sandile m’self, ‘specially since I lent Harvey to…” She trailed off with a wary glance at me. “Since I lent Harvey out,” she corrected.

I sighed. “And Harvey would be…?”

“My Tyranitar.”

“Ah. And Aizen?”

Hakuda released the Pokémon from the ball he’d just gotten back from his sister. A tall, yellow form emerged, revealing itself as an Alakazam. “Aizen, can you take the four of us to the Castelia City Detention Center?”

The Psychic-type waved his spoon at the four of us in response, and a moment later we were gone.

\---------------

April 20, 2022, 4:29 P.M.  
Detention Center, Castelia City, Unova  
Visitor’s Room

I tapped my pen idly to the page of my notebook, considering the information Hakuda had just given me. “So to confirm. You are not technically a member of Team Rocket?”

Hakuda waved his hand. “Yes and no. There’s some… legal complexities with how Bounty runs our division. Honestly, you’d probably know the details better than me.”

I did, in fact, know the details; however, in hopes of avoiding a sleep-disrupting migraine I made a point of mentally setting them aside. “Understood. Now, we’ve already established your Gym Challenge against Elesa… what happened between then and getting the call from my client?”

“Not much, really. I was actually already on my way to see Ryan when I got the call.”

“I see. So you were aware of the mission ahead of time, then?”

“Yeah, it’s why I came back to Unova. I’m pretty good friends with Ryan’s sister Chloe, she asked me to keep an eye on her siblings while they were here.” Hakuda paused. “Shoot. She must be devastated. I hope she handles this okay…” He shook his head. “Anyway. Chloe took the Gym Challenge a few years back, so I thought I’d try my hand at catching up, in between catching up with my sister and checking in on the others. When I got the call from Ryan, though--”

“Excuse me,” a guard interrupted, “but the suspect is out of questioning.” On the other side of the glass, a second guard escorted Agent Hikari into the visitation room.

I nodded, attaching a flag to my notebook page and flipping back to Hikari’s section. “We’ll continue this later,” I told Hakuda, “would you mind staying nearby until then?”

“If it’s no trouble, I’d like to stay here actually. This way, I can let Chloe know Ryan’s all right.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but attorney-client privilege--”

“It’s all right,” Hikari interjected. “There’s some things I’d like to discuss with both of you. We can handle confidential matters after that.”

I nodded. “Very well. What did you have in mind?”

“Well…” Hikari glanced nervously at Hakuda for a moment, then steeled himself. “I was thinking. Today in court you got Jenny’s testimony thrown out by bringing up her past with me.”

“Wait, you did _what_ \--?”

“Amanda’s not one to throw out a useful tactic. She’s going to figure out a way to use the Hakudas’ past with the Hikaris against us. I don’t know how, but she’ll find a way, and I’d rather you not be blindsided.

Hakuda went still. “This is about my father, isn’t it.”

Hikari nodded.

I glanced between the two of them. “Exactly how bad is it?”

“It’s… bad.”

“ _Really_ bad,” Hakuda confirmed. “Did you want to start?”

“Yeah.” Hikari let out a breath. “Okay. So remember how I told you my mom hid Lucia from my father? And how my mom ended up in hiding by the time she adopted Alex? Well…”

\---------------

I frowned at the sordid history the pair jointly revealed to me. “I can see why you’d consider this a liability, and I’m glad to be informed of it in advance. But for the moment, I don’t see an angle the prosecution can use against us -- if anything, I’d consider it more damaging against Agent Hakuda than to you, Agent Hikari. No offense intended, Agent Hakuda.”

“None taken,” Hakuda assured. “I… I don’t really like to think about it, but my father’s whole revenge plot was pretty awful. Heck, if he was still around, he’d be my top suspect for killing Alex.” He paused. “Listen, could you maybe… keep all that under your hat? Unless you have to, of course, it’s just…”

“The details of what Patrick Hakuda did -- murdering Gerald and my aunt Stacy, framing my mom -- it’s still largely secret from the public,” Hikari explained. “I… think it’s best for everyone if the Hakudas’ name doesn’t get dragged through the mud. They’ve suffered enough.”

I briefly closed my eyes, considering how best to respond. “I understand your reasoning, Agent Hikari, Agent Hakuda. I certainly won’t make a point to bring it up. But I have a legal responsibility to defend my client to the best of my ability. I refuse to compromise on that principle.”

Both men seemed unhappy with the revelation, but to my surprise Hakuda appeared to accept it first. “I understand. Thank you for the warning.” He stood quickly. “I think I’d like to go see Jenny now. You have my number if you need anything else.” After hesitating a moment longer, Hakuda quickly left the room.

Hikari sighed. “This _sucks_.”

In my tired state I couldn’t quite suppress my exhausted chuckle. “You won’t hear me denying it.”

“So what do we have?”

I tried not to flinch. “Not much. I wanted to ask, though -- why were you in the dungeon in the first place?”

“Dungeon…? Oh, the excavation site?” At my nod, he shook his head. “It’s so dumb in retrospect. I was actually standing in the seventh floor passage when the earthquake hit. Thinking back, that’s probably when LaDonna broke in -- the earthquake was probably the work of a Pokémon. I was too panicked at the time to think of that, though, so I ran in to try and help Alex and Jamie rather than waiting for Ray. Actually, speaking of Jamie…?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry. Your sister is still there, trying to find her.”

“I see.”

There was a knock on the door. “Excuse me,” a guard said, “but visiting hours are almost over for the day. You’ll need to leave soon.”

I suppressed a long, tired sigh. “All right, thank you Officer.” I looked to Hikari. “Is there anything else you wanted to discuss before I go?”

Hikari shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Then I will see you tomorrow. Best of luck, Agent Hikari.”

“Tomorrow,” he agreed. “We’ll need it.”


	5. Interlude

August 7, 2017  
Team Plasma Headquarters, Black City, Unova  
Main Visitors’ Lobby

“Then I will see you tomorrow, Alexa,” Bonnie heard the man saying. “Best of luck on your story.”

“Thanks,” Alexa replied. “I think we’ll need it.” With a sigh, the reporter retreated back to her protégé, her Helioptile slipping in step beside her to lend her a comforting nudge. Alexa awarded the reptilian Pokémon a wan smile and an appreciative head scratch.

“That… didn’t go well, did it?” Bonnie had heard the disappointment and frustration buried beneath Alexa’s politeness, though of course the Plasma official had with similar politeness ignored it.

Alexa nodded. “He completely shut me down. The only thing I got from Kingsley is that Zarth was slated to replace him as Rook before One Island put her in the spotlight.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened. “Oh! That’s news!”

Alexa grimaced. “Not really. It’s a good detail, but without more information it’s just that. A detail, not a story.”

“Er…” Bonnie sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “I more meant… my story’s set in the future, so I should probably find-and-replace ‘Knight Zarth’ with ‘Rook Zarth’.”

Alexa blinked at Bonnie and then laughed. “Actually, that’s probably not accurate. Though… I guess you wouldn’t have much reason to know, would you?”

“Know what?”

The reporter crossed her arms and tilted her head in consideration. “Well, it has to do with how Team Plasma operates. You have the Bishops at the top, of course, but then immediately below them are the Rooks. The rooks handle administration and coordination work, and generally have two Knights under their direct supervision to handle field operations for them. Beneath the Knights are the Pawns, but Pawns are raw recruits and tend to promote relatively quickly. The Knights form the bulk of Team Plasma operations, being the front-line field agents with the latitude to operate independently but also the authority to call in backup when they need it -- usually four Pawns to a Knight if assigned from the start.”

Bonnie felt her eyes start to glaze over, and she hurriedly began to jot down the details. “Bishop, Rook, two Knights, four Pawns…”

Alexa laughed. “It’s not quite that set in stone, Bonnie. Not all Knights even have a dedicated Rook they report to -- the whole point of Knights is flexibility. Unfortunately, that also tends to be where _all_ the flexibility goes; the Rooks’ coordination duties almost never extend beyond their desk jobs, and the official record say that _no_ Rook has ever been deployed outside of Unova.”

Bonnie raised a hand, pointer finger extended upward, in an eerily perfect mirror of her brother’s mannerism. “That seems… I see several problems with that.”

Alexa nodded. “Exactly. A lot of Plasma’s best Knights _stay_ as Knights for that reason. If someone’s a good field agent, the Bishops would want them in the field as long as they can possibly manage before they get promoted. There’s even a joke that the hospitals stock Rook uniforms instead of rehab clothes.”

Bonnie gave Alexa a strange look. “…Unovan humor is weird.”

Alexa chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get to the hotel. We have another long day tomorrow.”


	6. Trial - Day 2

April 21, 2022, 9:52 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“So, what’s our case?”

I eyed Zann with uncertainty, but Hikari spoke up before I could. “Frankly, we don’t have much of one. You and Miriam didn’t get far in the dungeon before Amanda kicked you out, and we still haven’t heard back from Lucia. The best we have is a defense in case Amanda tries to bring up--”

I held up my hand for Hikari to stop. “It’s irrelevant to you anyway, Ms. Zann. You’ll be up in the gallery, not behind the bench, so it’s not necessary for you to know.”

Zann scoffed. “Says who?”

“Ms. Zann, you are neither a lawyer nor an agent of Team Rocket, so it would be inappropriate for you to--”

“I repeat,” she said slowly, withdrawing a glittering golden badge from her sleeve, “says. Who.”

Hikari stared at her, gobsmacked. “But… but you’re a criminal!”

“Ah like t’be _precise_ ‘bout what laws I’m breakin’.”

I groaned. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” I shook my head, sighing. “Agent Hikari? It’s your defense.”

Hikari shook himself out of shock. “I, er… I mean, I trust her. If she can help at all, she’ll do it.”

“Very well. Welcome to the defense, Ms. Zann.”

“Glad t’be helpin’ out.”

All I could do was shake my head at the sheer audacity of the apparent attorney.

\---------------

April 21, 2022, 10:00 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

 _ ***CLACK!***_

“Court is now back in session for the trial of Ryan Hikari.”

“The defense is ready, Your Honor.”

The judge nodded in acknowledgement, then did a double-take. “I’m sorry, is that--?”

“Amelia Zann,” the woman in question replied, “attorney. Ah’m helpin’ with Agent Hikari’s defense.”

The judge glanced nervously back and forth. “I’m… not sure what I think of this.”

Prosecutor Zarth cleared her throat. “The prosecution has no objections to the assistant attorney of the defense. In fact, Ms. Zann’s presence is relevant to the circumstance at hand.”

The judge’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh! A surprise already, eh? In that case, please go on.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Zarth took a single sheet of paper from atop her bench and read from it. “Yesterday, during the investigation of Relic Castle, Ms. Zann accused me of, to quote directly, ‘bein’ too danged hasty’ and ‘missin’ th’ basic ‘facts’, also claiming, quote, ‘That ain’t no way to go’.”

“Objection!” Zann called. “The defense finds the prosecution’s mockin’ of m’accent objectionable.”

Based on the grumblings from the gallery, a significant portion of those watching found Zann’s accent itself more objectionable. I ground my teeth and resisted the sudden urge to glare at my co-counsel.

“I’m not sure what to think of this…” the judge muttered. “Sustained. Prosecutor Zarth, in future you will refrain from attempting to emulate Ms. Zann’s accent.”

Zarth nodded. “Noted, Your Honor.”

“Been tryin’ t’ get that t’happen fer th’ past four years,” Zann murmured to me. I sternly reminded myself that violence against my co-counsel would be even more detrimental to our case, and distracted myself from the urge by questioning how exactly this woman had managed to provoke such an uncharacteristic urge from me.

“Upon further reflection and investigation,” Zarth continued, “the prosecution believes that Ms. Zann’s assessment was correct. The prosecution was unable to uncover any additional evidence that would establish the requisite motive to definitively convict Agent Hikari of Agent Zyther’s murder. At this time, the prosecution has elected to drop all charges against Agent Ryan Hikari.”

I froze.

Around us, the gallery burst into shocked gasps and whispers, the judge too stunned himself at first to call the court to order. It was some time before he was able to recompose himself.

**_*CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!*_ **

“This is… I’m not sure what to think of this. Prosecutor Zarth, are you certain?”

“I am, Your Honor.”

“Very well. In that case, court is--”

“Hold it!” Zann’s outburst finally shook me from my stupor. “Amanda, what’re y’all tryin’ t’ pull here?”

Zarth frowned. “I assure you, Ms. Zann, I am not pulling anything. My actions as prosecutor are predicated entirely upon the evidence, which has led me to transfer suspicion to a more appropriate suspect.”

My heart dropped. Of course. Of _course_. Why hadn’t I seen this coming?

“An’ who, exactly, would y’all say that’d be?”

Zarth confirmed my worst suspicions. “Ray Hakuda.”

\---------------

April 21, 2022, 10:22 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

As the three of us shuffled into the defendant lobby, Zann immediately began pacing the length of the room while Hikari just stood in place, clenching and unclenching his fists. By normal standards, it was odd; the trial was over, and technically we had just won the case.

It certainly didn’t feel like it.

“How in the _bleeding blazes_ did we not see this coming?” Zann angrily demanded. Hikari just growled, apparently incapable of coherent speech.

I shook my head. “Right now, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is what we do about it.” I affixed Hikari with a serious stare. “Ryan, I have to ask -- do you think--”

“No,” Hikari spat, reason just barely holding back the edge of his wrath. I weathered his anger despite the urge to flee -- helped in no small part by knowing I wasn’t its intended target. “Ray would never kill Alex. He has no reason to, and even if he did…” He hissed, lips curled in a seething snarl as the air rushed through clenched teeth. “He’d never kill anyone. He’s _better_ than that.” The follow-up _‘Better than_ me _,’_ went unsaid.

I frowned. “Unfortunately, I can see exactly how Zarth plans to argue he _did_ have reason.”

“Yeah,” Hikari agreed with a scowl. “I’ll testify, of course.”

To my surprise, Zann beat me to disabusing Hikari of that notion. “No, ya won’t. ‘S too easy fer Amanda t’ make ya look biased ‘n’ throw out everything ‘cept what makes Ray look bad.”

Hikari’s fingers twitched. “There has to be _some_ way I can help.”

The lobby door burst open, a panicked Jenny Hakuda-Tierra barging in. “You have to help him, there has to be _something_ you can do!”

The corner of Zann’s mouth quirked upwards, but mercifully she managed to contain herself. “If y’wanna request us, ah think there’s a special letter for it.”

I nodded. “A Letter of Request. Given the… ambiguous nature of Agent Hakuda’s connection to Team Rocket, I could possibly arrange to be assigned to his defense that way, but it’s easier to have one than not.”

“Right,” she nodded back, “okay. How do I write one?”

“Ah’ll guide ya through it,” Zann told her. “Best give Shields the lead an’ let ‘er get right on makin’ a case.”

“Speaking of which… Agent Hikari?”

“Hm?”

“I’m saying this as a ranking member of Team Rocket. Your orders are to contact headquarters and pull a copy of all of our files on Gerald Hikari and Patrick Hakuda. It’s a priority request, and I’m giving you a recognition code to register it as such. Do you understand?”

Hikari saluted. “Yes ma’am!”

I digitally transferred Hikari the codes and sent him on his way before turning my attention to reorganizing my notes. “Now,” I murmured to myself, “where exactly to begin…?”

\---------------

April 21, 2022, 11:30 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

The courtroom was filled with whispers even before the participants arrived. A new judge, this one an older man with a bushy gray beard, banged his gavel on the sounding block.

 _ ***CLACK!***_

“Court is now in session. Is the prosecution ready?”

Zarth stood as impassively before the new judge as she had the previous judge on the previous day. “The prosecution stands ready, Your Honor.”

“Very good. Is the defense ready?”

I, too, repeated the previous trial’s statement. “The defense is prepared, Your Honor.”

“Good. I was informed that I would be taking over this trial from my brother, is there a particular reason for the substitution?”

“A change in defendant, Your Honor,” Zarth answered. “It was determined that due to the tempestuous nature of the previous trial, a change in judge would be most prudent for maintaining objectivity.”

“Tch. Y’all just don’t wanna deal with a judge who saw the circus ya made of the last trial,” Zann muttered.

“Does the defense have an objection?”

I looked to Zann, who shook her head. “Not at this time,” I answered for her.

“I see. Correct me if I’m wrong, Ms. Shields, but were you not the defense attorney for the prior trial?”

“I was. My client and I retained Ms. Zann’s services that afternoon after the trial.”

“Will that be a problem for your new client?”

I shook my head. “Agent Hakuda submitted a Letter of Request as soon as he arrived at the courthouse. He had no objections to the arrangement.”

“I see.” The judge nodded approvingly. “It is fortunate that you are available to provide your services. I’m afraid the court is undergoing some staffing shortages at the moment. We would have been hard-pressed to provide a proper public defender for this trial.”

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. “I am glad to be of service.”

“Indeed.” The judge turned his attention to Zarth. “Will the prosecution please explain the details of the case?”

“Indeed,” Zarth intoned. Just as she had yesterday, the prosecutor picked up a sheet of paper from her bench and began to speak, though this time with different details. “The crime occurred on the evening of August 18th, in Relic Castle. The victims were members of a Team Rocket expedition team, contracted to explore a newly-discovered passage leading to further levels beneath the previously-explored portions of the structure. While two members -- the first victim’s siblings Lucia Zyther and Ryan Hikari -- were preoccupied with an attack by wild Pokémon, a series of events occurred inside the ruins that led to the death of the first victim, Alex Zyther, and the disappearance of the second victim, Jamie Arthur.”

The judge’s eyebrows rose. “You are naming a second victim in this case?”

Zarth nodded. “While we have yet to determine what transpired regarding this victim, her continued absence and the state of the crime scene indicate foul play.”

I shared a significant glance with Zann. This would have been useful to have known _before_ now.

“The prosecution would now like to call its first witness, the Team Plasma agent in charge of the current investigation--”

“Objection!” I called. “Knight Hakuda-Tierra’s objectivity was already called into doubt yesterday with regards to Agent Hikari. I hardly think you would call her again today, this time to testify against her own brother?”

Zarth affixed me with a blank stare. “You are correct, Ms. Shields. I am not calling Knight Hakuda-Tierra to the stand.” A pause. “I am calling her husband.”

The gallery let out a collective gasp, followed by much excited whispering.

Zann scowled at Zarth. “See, that’s why I don’t buy the whole ‘no emotions’ thing. Stuff like that’s a dead tell.”

I glanced to my co-counsel while the judge struggled to regain order. “You think she’s faking it?”

Zann shook her head. “Naw, it’s real, it just ain’t so absolute as she likes t’ think.”

I nodded, filing the information away as the judge’s gavel rang out again and again.

**_*CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!*_ **

“Order!” the judge demanded, “I will have order!”

Finally, the whispering died down, though it was a close thing. The judge frowned at Zarth. “For the sake of clarity, Ms. Zarth…”

“The prosecution calls Evan Tierra-Hakuda to the stand.”

I stared at Zarth, trying to figure out exactly what game the prosecutor was playing. “Objection!” I protested. “I… I feel compelled to point out the potential witness’ last name. Knight Tierra-Hakuda may only be a Hakuda by marriage, an in-law, but that is still not enough separation for proper objectivity.”

“If I may, Your Honor?”

And there he was. Resplendent in rich raiment specially tailored for the infamous Hero of Space (or, more accurately, for the enjoyment of his abundant admirers), Evan Tierra-Hakuda stepped forward to the witness stand, his every motion dripping with drama, every eye in the room fixed firmly upon his features.

Even the judge felt flustered. “I, er… of course.”

For all his power, for all his status, for all the sheer presence he exuded across the room, the man nodded humbly before the judge. “Thank you.” With no warning, he pointed a hand to the heavens. “People of Unova! I stand before you now, not as Evan Tierra-Hakuda, Hero of Space, nor as Evan Tierra-Hakuda, partner of Landorus the noble and mighty! At this moment, I am not the savior who stood against the Ancient Darkrai, nor am I Terra Incarnate, mightiest rival of the Masked Royal and the avenging Avalon!” The Hero shifted his pose, using one hand to mime tearing a mask away while the other swept out to gesture towards his audience as he slowly spun to address the entire room. “I stand here today a simple man, a Knight of Team Plasma, dedicated in noble devotion toward the sacred duty of truth! I stand, just as any of you would, stripped of my own opinions in the name of this, the solemn revelation of evidence before a court of law.”

I frowned at the man. “With all due respect, Knight Tierra-Hakuda, that is insufficient for the standards of a fair trial--”

“Ms. Shields!” the judge exclaimed, “Are you… seriously suggesting that THE Evan Tierra would be biased against justice?”

Tierra-Hakuda seemed horrified by the thought. “Who the heck do you think I am?! I am Evan Tierra, agent of Team Plasma and dutiful officer of the law! I, like all those sworn before this court, do solemnly swear to uphold the carriage of justice, and promise to present the evidence entrusted to me with fairness and neutrality, to the utmost of human capacity… and beyond!”

“The utmost of human capacity will be sufficient, Knight Tierra-Hakuda,” Zarth interjected.

“Very well, Knight Zarth, to the utmost of human capacity! I realize this is a bold claim to make, but I assure you my testimony will be totally sufficient, for mine is the truth that will pierce the darkness to bring forth that most glorious light! Believe me when I say, with all of my heart, that I most thoroughly trust the truth to carry out justice, with no need for meddling or interference on mine or anyone else’s part!” 

“Yer Honor, if we could have a moment?” Zann asked. At the judge’s nod, I leaned over to her. “Y’all do realize, this is to our advantage, right?”

I shook my head sternly. “It’s the principle of the matter, Ms. Zann. Besides, this smells of poisoned fruit; if we take advantage of this, and then manage to flip his testimony to our benefit, Zarth has a perfect opportunity to pull it out from under us using our own previous arguments.”

Zann tauntingly waved a finger at me. “Y’all don’t know Amanda like ah do. You hear th’ way the judge thinks of Tierra? She’s got the exact same faith in ‘im. Half’a Unova does, if he were a Pokémon they’d be outright worshippin’ the man.”

I frowned at this information. “Tierra-Hakuda,” I corrected idly, buying myself a moment to process.

“Whatever.” Zann waved a hand dismissively. “Point is, she’d never even think t’ question his neutrality, an’ if we try an’ fight it we’ll only be hurtin’ our own case.”

Unease curled around my gut, but given the downright absurdity of Unovan court proceedings thus far I couldn’t fully dismiss the possibility my co-counsel had presented. Unhappily, I addressed the judge. “The defense has no further objections to the witness at this time.”

The judge nodded approvingly. “Very well. Mr. Tierra… sorry, Mr. Tierra-Hakuda, you may share your testimony with the court.”

“My humble thanks, Your Honor.”

Zarth once more consulted her paperwork. “Knight Tierra-Hakuda, please describe the state of the crime scene at the time of discovery.”

To my surprise, Tierra-Hakuda managed to school his expression into something serious. “Of course. Our primary evidence at the scene of the crime was -- and remains -- the trail of blood running through one of the dungeon corridors into the morgue and crematorium. When identified, it proved to be that of the first victim, Team Rocket Agent Alex Zyther. The trail leads directly to one of the morgue’s sarcophagi, which remains sealed aside from a hole near the bottom, from which the blood was leaking.”

The judge frowned at this. “Do you mean to say that the first victim has still yet to be autopsied?”

Tierra-Hakuda nodded. “That is, to my shame, correct. The sarcophagus in question seems to be specially designed to resist both conventional and supernatural abilities. As the entire level is still under research, there is no information about why that is.”

“I find this deeply troubling, Mr. Tierra-Hakuda.”

“As do we all, Your Honor. Nonetheless, we were able to establish a working theory. The corridor in which the blood trail begins shows signs of a struggle. As evidence, I present these photos of the crime scene.”

The judge accepted the photos into evidence, displaying the images on holographic screens around the courtroom. One slide showed the carnage of shattered statues, the blood trail running haphazardly through the destruction, while another showed a mummified guard statue still standing intact in its own coffin-like grotto. While the judge mused over this information, Zarth spoke up.

“The prosecution would also like to present a physical sample of the items found at the crime scene.” She hoisted a large clear evidence bag to the top of her bench, a severed stone arm sealed within, followed by few smaller bags containing fragments of bloodied bandage. I felt a twinge in the back of my mind at the sight of the items, but before I could focus in on it Tierra-Hakuda resumed speaking.

“Our current theory is that the assailant approached the victim and attacked, starting a struggle. At some point in the fight, the victim was injured, but managed to wind their attacker and fled to the morgue. Once recovered, the assailant followed the trail of blood to the morgue, where they finally overcame the victim, sealed them in a sarcophagus, and fled the scene.”

“Hold on,” I objected. “Might I remind the court that Ryan Hikari had at that time arrived at the entrance to the dungeon level, and thus would have blocked any method of egress?”

Zarth shook her head. “The defendant’s Trainer records show he has an Alakazam capable of teleportation on his team. A physical escape route was unnecessary.”

I exchanged a look with Zann. We had our opening. “On the contrary, Prosecutor, it was very much necessary. Ms. Zann?”

“Right.” Zann held up the photographs I had taken of the ruins during our aborted investigation. “Ah’d like to present this photograph of the ruins site to the court.”

Zarth frowned. “Objection, relevance?”

“Look at the walls. See th’ little squiggles up top there? Agent Lucia Zyther called ‘em runes, they block teleportin’.”

Zarth looked to Tierra-Hakuda for confirmation. “Is this true?”

The Knight nodded. “There are similar runes on the sealed sarcophagus. We think that’s why my abilities fail to affect it, as well as Ghost-type phasing and traditional psionics.”

“I see.” Zarth contemplated this information for a moment. “Very well. In that case, it is possible that the victim was killed prior to the defendant’s meeting with Agents Hikari and Zyther, removing the need for egress entirely.”

“‘Fraid not, Amanda. Prior to the murder, Hakuda was challengin’ the Nimbasa City Gym. He’d just barely gotten to th’ desert by the time he got Ryan’s call.”

“Once again, the defendant had access to a teleporter. Even with the runes preventing direct access, this would not prevent a teleport to the entrance--”

“No,” I cut in, “but our client did not have access to his Alakazam on the night of the murder; he had temporarily traded it to his sister in exchange for her Krookodile in order to gain advantage against the Electric-type Gym. He was forced to use his Togekiss for transport instead.”

Zarth once again looked to Tierra-Hakuda for confirmation, and got a nod in response. She seemed utterly confused. “Why would he make such a trade, rather than trading said Togekiss instead?”

“Oh!” Tierra-Hakuda explained. “Now I get how she…” The man trailed off, blushing slightly. “Er. Reasons.”

“Could you explain those reasons, Knight Tierra-Hakuda?” Zarth asked.

“Objection!” I called quickly, having caught on to the implication where Zarth hadn’t. “The court does not need to hear that information.”

“Seconded,” Zann added.

“Sustained,” the judge hastily agreed.

Still puzzled, Zarth was nonetheless forced to accept the outcome. “This new information still presents a new possibility. It is possible that the defendant killed the victim, then used the borrowed Krookodile to tunnel an exit through the ruins.”

I shook my head. “A Move strong enough to tunnel between floors of Relic Castle would have registered seismic activity to the watch station. There was only one such event registered on the night of the murder, the one that cleared the collapsed portions of Relic Passage enough for Ms. LaDonna to gain entry.”

“It is not impossible that both seismic events overlapped.”

Zann scoffed. “What, are y’all sayin’ that he coordinated his escape with Belle?”

“Coordination or coincidence, the outcome would remain the same.”

The judge frowned, indecisive. “It is a weak argument, I grant you, but I have encountered far more unlikely scenarios in my many years. The prosecution may continue.”

Zarth nodded. “Most importantly, the defendant had motive to murder the victim.”

 _Here we go,_ I thought, _the part Agent Hikari warned us about._

“Knight Tierra-Hakuda, please describe the history of the Hakuda and Hikari family conflict.”

“As you wish,” he said. Tierra-Hakuda seemed uncomfortable at this order, but to his credit he steadfastly stayed the course. “There’s a documented history of rivalry between Gerald Hikari and Patrick Hakuda stretching all the way back to their childhood. Eventually that rivalry became open hostility, which caused marital strain between Gerald Hikari and his wife Cassie. Eventually, Cassie felt the need to hide her daughter Lucia from Gerald, and she began switching places with her adopted sister Christina Mikazuki to care for Lucia in secret. It was during one of these substitutions that Gerald hired a man to destroy the Hikari home in Goldenrod. Christina was killed in the attack, while Patrick’s daughter Jessica was presumed dead. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that the truth was discovered: Gerald had kidnapped Jessica and brainwashed her, replacing her memories with the new identity under which she joined Team Plasma.”

“For clarity,” I asked, “the person originally known as ‘Jessica Hakuda’ is now your wife Jenny Hakuda-Tierra?”

“That is correct. She assumed her current name after reclaiming some of her past memories.” With a shake of his head, Tierra-Hakuda resumed his story. “After this event, Cassie Hikari went into hiding in Kalos, taking up Christina’s name and eventually marrying Lionel Zyther and adopting their child Alex.”

“The victim?” the judge asked.

“The first victim, yes,” Tierra-Hakuda reminded him. “Meanwhile, Gerald began trying to kill the remaining Hakudas in earnest, with Patrick and his wife eventually using one of the attempts to fake their own deaths.” He paused. “And then, of course, came the Kyurem incident.”

I nodded, along with the judge and most of the courtroom’s other occupants. The Kyurem incident of 2016 was an infamous tragedy that had caused millions of deaths and devastated most of southeastern Unova. It eventually came to light that Hikari’s sister Chloe had been mind-controlled by her father and forced to use the Legendary Pokémon toward some end before it was vanquished -- though what end, exactly, had never been revealed to the public.

Zarth asked the same question I had when Hakuda had explained the scenario in the Detention Center. “Were Hikari’s motives connected to the Hakudas?”

Tierra-Hakuda shook his head. “We’ll never know. Patrick Hakuda murdered Gerald Hikari before he could be fully interrogated.”

The gallery burst into shocked murmuring, though the judge was quick to regain order.

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“This is the first I’ve heard of this,” the judge said. “Is that really what happened?”

Zarth nodded. “The reports were altered after certain incidents in Black City and the destruction of the prison shortly after Hikari’s murder.”

The judge seemed thoroughly unimpressed by the news of the cover-up. “I see. Please continue.”

“For a while, Patrick’s involvement remained unknown. After killing Gerald Hikari, continued his revenge plot in Celadon by murdering Stacy Trilan, Cassie’s other sister, and attempting to pin the blame on Cassie herself. It was only through the help of an anonymous good Samaritan and a Team Liberty executive’s Gardevoir that the truth was uncovered, allowing the authorities to bring Patrick Hakuda down in the process.”

“By brought down you mean…?”

“He was not successfully arrested, no. But he was stopped. Permanently.”

“I see.” Troubled, the judge took a moment to review all he had just been told. “I believe I can infer the prosecution’s argument from here, but for the sake of formality, Ms. Zarth, please explain the relevancy of this knowledge to the case at hand.”

“Of course,” Zarth replied. “Your Honor, the prosecution believes that Ray Hakuda murdered Alex Zyther as revenge for what happened to his father.”

 _And there it is,_ I thought. “Objection!” I called, quickly deploying my argument in spite of its probable failure. “Our client never re-established contact with his father in between his apparent death and his actual death. There was no opportunity for him to be brought into a conspiracy.”

“A conspiracy was unnecessary,” Zarth countered. “The defendant was more than capable of forming his own grudge after Patrick Hakuda died.”

“Yer not gettin’ away that easily,” Zann said. “Y’all may not’ve said it was part of the same plot, but y’all certainly implied it.”

“The requisite point is the argument, not the implication,” Zarth said. “Nevertheless, if you wish to pursue this angle, I am prepared to counter it.”

I frowned at Zarth, not quite understanding her goal. _It’s almost as if she wants us to attack the conspiracy angle._ I decided to hedge my bets with a more universal approach. “Conspiracy or not, would Agent Hakuda have even known of the connection between the victim and the Hikari family? Alex Zyther was adopted under a false name, after all, leaving no direct connection to be found.”

“Patrick Hakuda specifically planned to pin Stacy Trilan’s murder on Cassie Zyther, despite the latter being thought dead. If the defendant’s father was capable of uncovering the connection while she was actively in hiding, the defendant himself is more than capable of doing the same under significantly less restrictive circumstances.”

I shook my head unhappily. There was something wrong about this whole argument, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Zann stepped up while I pondered. “An’ how do ya know that was his plan from tha start? Maybe he jus’ went t’ kill Trilan an’ happened t’ find Cassie alive ‘n’ well in time to frame ‘er?”

Zarth shook her head. “Unfortunately for all of us, that information is unavailable to us, as it is currently sealed within confidential Team Rocket records. Without priority request access, fulfilling a subpoena would take longer than the remaining time allotted for this trial.”

_Then why would she--?_

My eyes widened.

 _No._ No _._

As if on cue, Agent Hikari walked through the courtroom doors, calmly approaching the defense bench. “Ambassador Shields,” he said, saluting, “I’ve brought the files you requested.”

“On the other hand,” Zarth continued, “it would be simple to request the records directly from Agent Hikari. Your Honor, the prosecution formally requests the surrender of those documents.”

Hikari froze, eyes as wide as a Deerling in the headlights.

“Very well, then,” the judge said. “The court so orders.”

“Your Honor,” I managed to say, “the defense requests a recess in order for _both_ parties to review this new evidence.

The judge, to my immense relief, nodded approvingly. “That seems reasonable. We will resume in thirty minutes.”

**_*CLACK!*_ **

\---------------

April 21, 2022  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“How? How in _blazes_ did she work that out?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. What’s more important is our defense.”

“The detention center,” Hakuda said.

“Sorry?”

“In the detention center, we had to talk back and forth with a microphone through the glass. They must have recorded it.”

Zann frowned. “But attorney-client privilege--”

“Wouldn’t apply.” I frowned as well. “Or rather, it’s a gray area. Agent Hakuda wasn’t our client at the time, which arguably could have broken the privilege, but considering we were interviewing him for the sake of the case it still falls within the spirit of privilege.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hikari interjected, downcast. “She’s got the files now. Even if we try to attack her on this, she’d be able to present the files anyway.”

I was reluctantly forced to agree. “This isn’t your fault, Agent Hikari,” I reminded him. I gave you an order, and you carried it out, but Zarth outmaneuvered both of us.”

Zann nodded her agreement. “Neither of ya had any reason t’ think this was comin’. She’s sneaky like that.”

There was a knock at the door. With the others preoccupied, I got up to answer it.

“Hey.” A rather upset-looking Jenny Hakuda-Tierra stood at the door. “Can I… come in?”

I glanced back at the others, Hakuda and Hikari in particular. “In light of the present circumstances, I would prefer not. Is it something important?”

Hakuda-Tierra shook her head. “I just… I hate that I can’t help.” She looked down for a moment, but when she raised her head back up her eyes were suddenly filled with determination. “Okay,” she said. “I can’t help Ray. But I bet there’s someone else I can help. I’ll be back, I promise.” She turned and marched determinedly away, head held high, but quickly backtracked just a few paces in. “Oh, and -- I haven’t had a chance to talk to Evan, but… could you remind Ray it’s nothing personal? I’m sure it isn’t.”

“I’ll take it under consideration,” I promised noncommittally.

“Right. Thanks.” With one last bracing breath, Hakuda-Tierra was off once more. 

Before I could close the door, Zann was at my side. “Listen. I think I got a plan. It ain’t foolproof, but at bare minimum it’ll buy us a day more t’ look into stuff. Think ya can cover without me?”

I gave Zann a worried look. “May I assume that this tactic is at least legal?”

The woman had the audacity to smirk at me. “Oh, it’s legal, Shields. Y’all could even call it _para_ legal.”

I blinked at the apparently-insane attorney. “I… that’s not what paralegal even… _what_?”

Without another word, Zann just grinned at me and left.

I could only hope her “help” wouldn’t bring disaster instead.

\---------------

April 21, 2022  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“Court is now back in session. Prosecutor?”

“Thank you, Your Honor. The prosecution has concluded its review of the files provided to us by Agent Hikari.”

If Zann had been here, she would likely have growled something insulting at the prosecution. I, fortunately, had better control of myself. I considered raising an objection, but knew that Zarth would have countermeasures already planned, and did not relish the idea of damaging my standing with the judge in the process.

Heedless of my own misgivings, Zarth continued. “In addition to confirming the details of Knight Tierra-Hakuda’s earlier testimony, they also provide a motive for the defendant to act against the second victim of our case, Jamie Arthur.”

 _That’s right,_ I recalled, _she named Arthur as another victim this morning._

The judge nodded to Zarth. “By all means, please elaborate.”

“As previously explained, the downfall of Patrick Hakuda came about due to the investigation of a good Samaritan and a Gardevoir. These files reveal the Gardevoir’s name as Guinevere, and the Pokémon in question is currently in Agent Arthur’s care.” Zarth held up her copy of the files, a certain section highlighted for easier recognition. “The prosecution submits these records into evidence.”

“The court accepts this evidence.”

I resisted the urge to grind my teeth. I needed an angle of attack, and fast. “Knight Zarth,” I began, “you have yet to provide evidence that anything has even happened to Agent Arthur, let alone that my client was the one who did it. What, exactly, are you accusing him of?”

“At present, we have enough evidence to bring charges of battery, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment. The prosecution reserves the right to bring additional charges should further harm be proven to have come to the second victim.”

The judge frowned. “This is the first I have heard of this.”

“Yes, Your Honor. I chose to retain this information until now so as to present all evidence connected to the second victim at once.”

The judge seemed unhappy with Zarth’s decision, but relented. “Very well. Continue.”

“The prosecution would like to present these photos, as well as this footprint analysis and a statement made by Agent Lucia Zyther.”

“The court accepts these items into evidence.” The judge studied the new documents for a few minutes, as did I, and frowned. “I see. So Agent Zyther identified the boot that made the footprint as being the model worn by the second victim?”

“Correct. It is circumstantial, but given the limited access to the site it seems most likely that it belongs to her. The evidence suggests that Agent Arthur was ambushed from behind, knocked out, and then dragged into the crematorium, where she was locked inside to prevent her interference in the murder of the first victim. In addition to the crimes themselves, this proves premeditation on the part of the attacker.”

“Objection,” I said, “if Agent Zyther left footprints, shouldn’t the culprit have as well?”

Zarth shook her head, pointing to two quarter-circle shaped patterns in the dirt in front of the pictured mural. “The crematorium doors open outward. Their path would have eliminated the majority of the footprints left in front of them, and the ground beyond that area is too loose and sandy to leave clear prints.”

“I see,” the judge said. “Objection overruled.”

I looked over to my client, who seemed crushed by the accusations. He turned his head to me, his despondent gaze told me all I needed to know about his hope for acquittal. Still, there had to be _something_ , some evidence, some witness that would break the prosecution’s case.

The sound of the courtroom doors opening broke my reverie. “Apologies for the intrusion, Your Honor,” I heard Knight Hakuda-Tierra say, “but I believe this is a relevant witness to the case.”

I looked up to see three women: Knight Hakuda-Tierra, standing next to an exhausted-looking and tear-stained Agent Zyther… the two of them working together to hold up a third, less familiar face.

Even Zarth seemed surprised, though it was the judge who spoke up. “Is that…?”

Hakuda-Tierra nodded. “Yes. This is the second victim… Agent Jamie Arthur.”

\---------------

April 21, 2022,  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

The judge had ordered a brief recess to see to the victim’s safety, but with the time rapidly approaching the normal end of court hours the session was quickly resumed. Now Agent Arthur stood at the witness stand, parched and dusty, but still verifiably alive. I could only hope that the same would hold true for Agent Hakuda’s chance of acquittal.

**_*CLACK!*_ **

“Ms. Arthur, are you certain you wish to testify? You have been through a terrible ordeal, no one would blame you if you wish to step down to attend to your own health.”

Arthur shook her head. “No. A Hero never backs down.”

The judge nodded sadly. “I understand, young lady, and I commend your courage.” Arthur seemed tense, but lightened a bit at the judge’s commendation. “Very well. Prosecutor Zarth, you may question the witness.”

“Thank you. Ms. Arthur, please describe the events of the night you were attacked.”

“Not much to tell. I went in with Alex, and we started off cataloguing and mapping out the artifacts. We had to leave our Pokémon outside with the rest of the team so they couldn’t break anything, so when I was attacked I couldn’t call out Tristan or Pelleas to fight them off.”

“Her Metagross and Heracross, respectively,” Zarth clarified for the judge. “Do you recall any identifiable details about your attacker?”

“No. But I can tell you it was not Ray.”

The courtroom broke into murmuring as Arthur pointed to Agent Hakuda, and hope grew within me. Zarth, meanwhile, frowned. “Can you elaborate, Agent Arthur?”

That gave Arthur pause. “You remember the Flash of 2017? When everyone and their Pokémon lost their powers?” The flash -- which at the time had been experienced across the entire world -- had been one of the greatest catastrophes in human history, and had heralded a great many tumultuous months to come even after everyone’s powers returned. “Whoever attacked me figured out how to do that. My powers were useless, and by the time I woke up, I was inside that room with all the runes that blocked powers anyway.” She seemed extremely put out that she’d been overwhelmed so easily, even with her supernatural abilities.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow, Ms. Arthur,” the judge interjected. “How does that prove Mr. Hakuda’s innocence?”

Arthur shrugged. “My attacker used magic. Ray is not magic. At all. He couldn’t have done it.”

While Agent Hakuda was busy seeming personally affronted by Arthur’s description, I leaned forward to interject a question of my own. “Agent Arthur, do you have any idea who _could_ have stripped you of your powers?”

Jackpot. Some lawyers can spot tells from across a room with a well-aimed question and a little focus, while others can hear the emotional discord whenever a lie is told. No such skill was needed here, however, as the visible flinch and guilty expression on Arthur’s face blatantly revealed that she did.

“Ms. Arthur,” the judge ordered gently but firmly, “it is very important that we uncover the truth here. Who do you believe could have attacked you in the ruins?”

Arthur looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was, but finally she managed to force out the answer. “…It was probably Alex.”

There was a near-unanimous gasp from the gallery, but they were too shocked to cause any further commotion.

The judge, too, was struck speechless at first, but was the first to recover. “Ms. Arthur, are you certain?”

“No, how could I be? But…” She glanced, curiously, to Zarth for a moment before continuing. “Whoever attacked me had magic. And… Alex had that.”

Zarth shook her head, unbelieving. “Agent Arthur,” she tried, “are you the current caretaker of a Gardevoir named Guinevere?”

Arthur startled, confused by the question. “Yes? What does Guin have to do with anything?”

“Motive,” I answered. “A reason you would have been attacked.” I locked eyes with Zarth before continuing. “Your Honor, I object to the notion that Guinevere could have been the motive for the attack. If Agent Arthur’s position as her caretaker was enough to qualify her as a target for revenge, then she would have suffered the same fate as Alex Zyther.”

Arthur’s eyes grew wide. “Fate? What happened to Alex?”

“Agent Alex Zyther is the primary victim in this case,” Zarth recited. “The victim is currently believed deceased due to the blood we found at the scene.”

“They’re _dead_?!” Horrified tears welled up in Arthur’s eyes.

“Knight Zarth,” I said, “perhaps it would be best to handle the subject more delicately?”

“I…” For once, Zarth appeared genuinely shaken. She slowly nodded. “Yes, understood. I will endeavor to take greater care.”

“They’re dead…” Arthur repeated, the trauma of the circumstances finally starting to sink in… only to be pushed aside by a wave of furious denial. “No, no that cannot be. You’re wrong! I… I want proof!”

Zarth’s discomfort grew. “I apologize. We have yet to be able to remove Agent Zyther’s body from the coffin in which they were interred. The only readily available evidence we have are these articles.” As she had earlier, Zarth held up the bloody bandages and the statue fragment.

“Then… then maybe Alex is not dead! Maybe they just got hurt and hid inside the coffin so they wouldn’t get in trouble!”

I finally realized what had been bothering me about the two items earlier. “Ms. Arthur,” I said, as gently as I could manage, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.” I gestured to the items Zarth had just shown. “Those items are irrefutable proof that Agent Zyther was bound at some point during the attack.”

“What?!” If the judge had been surprised before, now he was positively floored. “Ms. Shields, why did you not reveal this sooner?”

I shook my head. “I only just noticed myself. Knight Zarth, may I?”

A still-confused Zarth handed the items to the bailiff, who in turn ferried them to me. I donned a pair of forensic gloves and pulled out the bandage first -- one bandage in particular. “As you can all see, there are several bloodstains on this bandage. Not unusual, for a sufficiently violent injury. However…” I next removed the statue arm from its own bag and stood it up on end. I reached for the bandage and began wrapping it around the arm, only to be stopped by a brief, aborted cry from the prosecutor’s bench. I looked up to see Zarth staring at the evidence like it had come from another planet. “Is something wrong, Prosecutor?”

Zarth slowly shook her head. “I will explain later. Continue.”

I shrugged off the Knight’s strange behavior for the moment. “When I wrap the bandage around… like so…” The gallery began murmuring quietly as the bloodstains lined up perfectly around the now-bound wrist of the statue. “It is plainly evident that this bandage was used to bind the victim while they were attacked.”

“How?” Zarth asked curiously.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The other bandages we found were dry and brittle with age. How did you manage to render them flexible?”

This time it was my turn to regard Zarth with confusion. “I don’t understand. The bandage I found at the scene of the crime was just as flexible as this one.”

Mystified, Zarth remained silent. However, the witness finally spoke again. “It’s true, then. Alex is… Alex is really…”

I nodded sadly. “For what it is worth, Agent Arthur, I am sorry for your loss. I do have to ask, though… why do you believe Agent Zyther -- Alex Zyther, that is -- would have attacked you?”

Arthur looked away, shame writ large across her face as she tried in vain to hide her tears. “It’s… because. Alex… I just thought… maybe Alex still blamed me. For that night. For what I did.” Arthur broke down entirely at that, choking her answers out in between sobs. “The… the whole reason… I took… this assignment… is because… because Lucia told me… Alex would be here. I wanted… I wanted to ask… if they still blamed me… and if I could… if I could somehow… make up for it. But I never… never worked up the nerve… and now… now they’re _dead_ … and I’ll never… never have the chance!”

“Don’t be so sure ‘bout that, kid.”

Zann had returned, an unfamiliar teenage girl trailing in her wake. The girl wore a pinkish-white hoodie with a wide grey-eyed grin plastered across it and some kind of golden charm printed between the drawstrings, the rolled-up cuffs ragged but in some sort of clearly deliberate way. A pair of glaring red eyes tracked warily across the room, lighting on every occupant but only really recognizing Agent Arthur. Her gaze landed upon mine, and she shrank back -- just slightly, but enough I could notice. _What do you have to hide?_ I wondered.

“Ms. Zann! What is the meaning of this?” the judge demanded.

Zann smirked smugly. “Your Honor,” she declared, “Ah think ah can solve th’ issue of what happened t’ Alex once ‘n’ fer all.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder to the albino girl behind her. “This is Alma Mason. She c’n talk to th’ dead.”

The judge gasped. “A spirit medium?!” He studied the girl more closely. “But then, shouldn’t she be wearing purple robes and gaudy jewelry?”

Mason seemed thoroughly unimpressed by the judge, but Zann gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Alma’s a girl of many talents. She might be a bit… diff’rent than the mediums y’all’ve worked with in th’ past.”

Zarth finally managed to ask the question I had been thinking but didn’t dare ask. “Your Honor, do you seriously intend to accept the word of a spirit as official testimony?”

The judge nodded solemnly. “I have had experience with spirit channeling in the past, Ms. Zarth. Rest assured, it is, in fact, a legitimate field of ability. However!” he said, and at this point switched his focus to me, Zann, and Mason with a fierce stare, “I also know that spirit channeling is not infallible. Should we contact the victim’s spirit, their testimony will be treated just as any other. The dead are still fallible, and are thus capable of both falsehood and error. Do you understand, Miss Mason?”

As she had with me, Mason shrank in on herself a little. “Yes, Your Honor,” she managed politely.

“Very well,” the judge said. “Ms. Arthur, you may step down for now. Ms. Mason, you may prepare your ritual with all haste.”

\---------------

It took Mason a surprisingly short amount of time to set up her ritual -- fortunate, since we were well over time for an ordinary end of court. The girl demanded something of Zann, who sped out of the courtroom and returned a few minutes later with a strange metal glove attached to some sort of shoulder harness, and also asked the judge for what turned out to be some sort of court record book, which she paged through for a while before finding the information she needed. At last, she ordered everyone in the courtroom -- including the additional bailiffs armed with Liepard in case of catastrophe -- to stand well back of the ritual space.

“Roderick Krane, Dahlia Hawthorne, Alex Zyther;” I heard her whisper to herself, “Shooting, hanging, unknown.” She nodded to herself, then spoke up for the rest of the court’s benefit. “I am ready to begin.”

“Then you may proceed when ready, Miss Mason.”

Ceremonial knife in hand, Mason lifted her arms in a Y-shape, then crossed them as she lowered them all the way to the odd glove device she’d laid on the ground. “I call upon the spirit of Roderick Krane! Three times will I call thee, and thou shall appear!” she bellowed, “Hear my call! Roderick Krane, you who were shot in murder, I summon thee!” She held up a Pokéball with her free hand, releasing its occupant, an enormous red-purple Sableye with strangely-shaped eye gems. “Garnet, my rock! Lend me your courage!" Before my eyes, the Sableye before me was surrounded in the signature shell of rainbow light that signified Mega Evolution, reappearing in its altered form with its now-oversized chest gem floating in front of it. "I call a third and final time! Hear me and appear, Roderick Krane!" Simultaneously, a wisp of a vaguely-humanoid shape appeared above the two, though its details were too indistinct for me to identify in the now-dimmed light as it rushed at Mason only to be pinned and trapped by the Mega Sableye’s gem. If the girl noticed, I could not tell; without missing a beat, she carried on with the ritual, moving to a different point in the space but repeating the same motions. 

“Next I call upon Dahlia Hawthorne! Three times will I name thee, and compel thee to appear! Hear my call! Dahlia Hawthorne, you who were hanged in execution, I summon thee!” Mason lifted a second Pokéball, this time releasing a Chandelure with unusually angular lines. “Lumiere, my light! Lend me your wisdom! A third and final time, I reach beyond the veil and bid Dahlia Hawthorne to appear!” As its counterpart had been before, the Chandelure was enveloped in a Mega Evolution glow, its new spider-like limbs snapping out to ensnare the shade that had appeared from this summoning.

At last Mason moved to the witness stand, performing the motions once again but this time touching the crossed hands to the top of the stand rather than to the ground. She hesitated just a moment before continuing. “Thrice three times, I call a name, bidding a freshly-born spirit to appear! Alex Zyther, my most trusted friend! Hear my call! Alex Zyther, who was my mentor! Heed my voice! Alex Zyther, who watched over me in my early days of magic! Hearken my cry! Alex Zyther, you whose death is unknown; Alex Zyther, you whose killer has vanished; Alex Zyther, you whose body is bound; I summon thee!” By now, I had caught the pattern, and anticipated the Mega Evolution of the nearly pitch-black Gengar she released even before she began the process. “Shadow, my familiar, my will! Lend me our strength!” This time, the rainbow light began early, and also lingered as Mason continued speaking. “Alex Zyther is who I must call! It is Alex Zyther with whom I must speak! Bring me the spirit of Alex Zyther!” In the dimmed light of the courtroom, the device, the spirits, the stand, all began to glow, brighter and brighter and brighter still, until--

Nothing happened.

No new spirit appeared, and mere moments later the others vanished, the Pokémon Mega Evolved to summon them reverting to their normal states. The lights returned to normal, and Mason wavered dizzily at the stand before Zann rushed forth to catch her.

The judge blinked and looked around confusedly. “What is the meaning of this? Miss Mason -- oh, Miss Mason, are you all right?”

Mason, resting heavily on Zann, attempted to nod. “I… cannot be certain of the reason behind the ritual’s failure. In ideal circumstances, I would perform it at the site of death, using the victim’s personal item, and knowing the cause of death. But ordinarily…” The girl glanced guiltily at Zann. “Ordinarily when such a ritual fails, the spirit would still be summoned, only to attack the summoner.”

“It’s all right, Alma,” Zann assured her, “Alex’d never attack you.”

Mason didn’t seem to believe Zann, but I had a more pressing point to pursue. “Your Honor, you mentioned having experience with spirit channeling in the past, correct? Would this result be consistent with the victim not actually being dead?”

The judge jerked his gaze to me, eyes wide. “Why -- yes, yes it would!”

“Objection!” Zarth shouted. “We have the victim’s body--”

“--in a sealed sarcophagus, with a blood trail leading to it, I’m aware. However, Ms. Arthur clearly managed to survive her ordeal while sealed in the crematorium. There remains a possibility -- only a possibility, I grant, but still a possibility -- that Alex Zyther may yet be alive.”

The judge nodded grimly. “Prosecutor, I’m afraid I must agree with the defense. I have seen this before. In light of the urgency of this situation, I am ordering all parties involved to investigate the scene of the crime and use any means necessary to reach a conclusive resolution to this matter. Ms. Zarth, that includes the defense -- I expect you to give them your full cooperation, and I expect the same of them towards you. By the time court begins tomorrow, I want to see Alex Zyther with my own eyes, dead or, if we are fortunate, alive. For today, court is now adjourned.”

**_*CLACK!*_ **


	7. Interlude

August 11, 2017  
Hollowview Hotel, Black City, Unova  
Room 811

Bonnie finished her paragraph and flopped back exhaustedly onto her bed. “Uuuuuugh,” she groaned. “How did this get so _long_?” she complained bitterly, unclipping her hair and letting it cascade messily around her. She paused. “The story, not the hair,” she belatedly clarified.

“You have been working on it all week.” An amused Alexa took the opportunity to walk over from her own bed and take a peek at Bonnie’s latest progress, craning her neck to get a good angle on the abandoned Holo Caster screen. “You named someone ‘Almia Freemason’?”

“It’s a placeholder name,” the would-be writer defended. She sat up with a groan, only to have to then blow her hair out of her eyes. “I imagined her as being from Almia, and she channels the dead. That’s what freemasons do, right?”

The reporter gave her apprentice an odd look. “…No? Why would you think… you know what, never mind.” She shook her head fondly. “Never change, Bonnie.” While Bonnie stuck her tongue out at her, Alexa kept reading. One name in particular took her aback. “Bonnie? How do you know Amelia Zann?”

Bonnie tilted her head at her mentor. “Know? I just made up…” The girl groaned in exasperation. “Great. Another name I have to change… I really liked that one, too,” she grumbled. She reclaimed the Holo Caster to make the necessary find-and-replace. As she mulled over what the replacement, a thought occurred to her. “Alexa? How do _you_ know that person?”

Alexa’s mind drifted back, to a particular piece of investigative journalism that had led her to the personal life of Kalos’ most prominent Pokémon Professor. She’d drawn the line for invasion of privacy then, and she decided to do the same now. “Sorry, Bonnie, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to say.”

Bonnie puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms crossly. “You don’t have to treat me like a little kid. I am technically an adult, you know.”

Alexa laughed at her. “Well then,” she said, mussing the girl’s hair, “maybe you should start acting like the adult you technically are.”

Bonnie deflated slightly at the gentle rebuke. “Okay, that’s fair,” she admitted. She glanced back at her Holo Caster, groaned again, and shut the whole thing off. “I’ve got so much left to do, but now I’m going to be thinking about your mysterious friend all night instead.”

Alexa smiled and shook her head. “Get some sleep, Bonnie. Isn’t your brother supposed to call in the morning?”

Bonnie sat bolt upright. “That’s right! Clemont!” The girl hurriedly straightened out her things before laying back down and scrunching her eyes shut. “Good night, Alexa!”

Alexa resisted the urge to laugh at her again. “Good night, Bonnie.”


	8. Investigation - Day 3

April 21, 2022, 4:03 P.M.  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courthouse Entrance

A brief discussion with Hakuda later, and Zann and I were ready to begin our investigation. Mason trailed along behind us in Zann’s wake, though the latter noted with some concern the girl’s occasional stumble.

“Alma,” she said, a gentleness in her voice I hadn’t previously heard. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel and rest? Belle’s still sequestered thanks to her plea deal, so you’ll have her room all to yerself fer a bit.”

Despite Mason’s subdued demeanor, this drew a smile. “I would have had it to myself anyway,” she said impertinently.

Zann snorted. “Well, yeah, but we’re not s’posed t’ _admit_ that.” She ruffled the girl’s hair fondly. “Go on, you, git.”

“No obsessive worrying over me?”

“Nah, that’s Belle’s job, I already know y’all can handle yourself.” She gave Mason a teasing grin. “Unless ya _want_ t’be worried over? Spend an hour cluckin’ over ev’ry li’l scratch like a mother Blaziken?”

Mason’s eyes widened, and she quickly ran off before Zann could change her mind.

Zann looked to me, confused. “Somethin’ wrong?”

I quickly shook my head. “No, not at all,” I said, quickening my pace as if to outrun the subject. I was saved having to cast about for a new topic of conversation by the appearance of Zarth, who made her way to one of the courthouse guards and received some small items from him, tucking them away at her side.

Beside me, Zann swore. “That _liar_ ,” she breathed, tone strangely filled with awe rather than condemnation. She sped across the lobby to reach the Knight before she could leave. “You liar! You absolute, _filthy_ liar!”

I stared at Zann in confusion. That was… _admiration_. “Zann?”

Zann grinned at me with pride. “That was a sleight of hand. She never actually took anythin’ from ‘im.” Apparently satisfied with her non-explanation, Zann looked back to Zarth. “You said you wouldn’t keep ‘em in court, what changed yer mind?”

“A conversation,” Zarth answered succinctly, almost defiantly. “After yesterday’s investigation, I was confronted by multiple people for whom I bear much respect. They convinced me that my detachment was fostering counterproductive behavior. Upon reflection, I was forced to agree.”

“Pfeh,” Zann said, “y’all can drop the act now. We already know yer maskin’.”

Zarth raised her eyebrow and gave Zann a dangerous glare. “You’d do well to remember that I’m still _me_ , Amelia. I’m more than just my condition.”

Zann held up her hands to ward Zarth off. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll back off.” She schooled her expression into something more serious. “So. This mean yer gonna let us investigate for real this time, like th’ judge asked ya?”

Zarth’s lips thinned, but she nodded curtly. “We disagree regarding the perpetrator of the crime, but our anger over its occurrence is shared. It wouldn’t be fair to deny you your own opportunity to investigate.” She looked to me next. “I’ll arrange for your client to be brought to court an hour early tomorrow, to compensate for your inability to visit the Detention Center during operating hours. Is that acceptable?”

I nodded slowly. “Agreed.”

Zarth nodded, pulling a Pokéball from her belt and releasing the Beheeyem within. “Then let us depart.”

\---------------

April 21, 2022, 4:07 P.M.  
Desert Resort, Route 4, Unova  
Relic Castle Entrance

We reappeared in front of the ruins’ main entrance, the place where Lucia Zyther had been stationed on the night of the attack. Zarth held up the ball and retreated her Pokémon, clipping it back onto her belt in a single smooth motion. She switched it for a different ball, this one releasing a violet-eyed Magnezone which she quickly mounted before fixing the two of us with a stern glance. “I have to ask,” she said, “that the both of you exercise the utmost care, and at least attempt to stay out of my way. Lancelot would be most displeased with me if I violated my oath to get proper rest.” She hesitated, then added. “You might not believe me, but I’m hoping to get Alex out alive just as much as you. Good luck.” With that last bit of confusing encouragement, Amanda directed her Magnezone to fly her into the ruins.

I stared between her and Zann for several long moments. “I don’t believe it,” I murmured. “I can’t believe I didn’t work it out before.”

“Work out--? Oh. That.” Zann shook her head. “Don’t feel too bad. The hair really throws off the comparison. ‘S not like her an’ Alex.”

My eyes widened as I realized the full implications of the statement. “Wh… you’re _both_ related to the victim?”

Zann nodded in uncomfortable confirmation. “Yep. ‘S why neither of us can rest ‘til we get th’ killer their just desserts.” She paused. “Don’t worry. Ah’ll play by the rules an’ let the law handle that part fer once. Ah don’t want t’ risk sendin’ an innocent man t’ prison. Happened once t’ me. Sucked.”

I was too busy looking back over the rest of the trial to really pay attention to Zann’s reassurance. I suddenly laughed. “Right at the start, from the very beginning. I accused her of being too close to the case. I was talking about Agent Arthur, I had no idea that--”

“That she was prosecutin’ the murder of her younger sibling?”

I nodded. “No matter how incompetent Unovan judges are, no judge on the planet would approve of that.”

“I don’t blame ‘em fer not knowin’. ‘S technically a state secret. Treaty of Anistar stuff. Even if it weren’t…” Zann glared down at the ground. “It’s not… a happy thing. Alex helped us all through it, but the details’re… not pleasant. Our family tree ain’t a proud one.”

“Sorry,” I apologized, realizing I’d touched a nerve.

“Not yer fault,” she countered. She scuffed her boot. “C’mon. Let’s get lookin’.”

I nodded. “Let’s.”

\---------------

April 21, 2022, 4:45 P.M.  
Relic Castle, Desert Resort, Unova  
Eighth Floor

“Well,” Zann said, panting slightly, “that nips her argument Ray beat Ryan down here. Ah even cheated ‘n’ used Qrow.”

I nodded, noting the information down. The two of us had split up, Zann sprinting for the access shaft while I traced Hikari’s path through the ruins. Even with Zann using her Pokémon to help, I’d arrived first with time to spare. “I think next we should investigate the crime scene again. We’ve proven Hakuda could not have committed the crime, but perhaps with another look we can figure out who did.”

Zann nodded. “Right.”

\---------------

As we approached the scene of the statue wreckage, I recalled Zarth’s strange response to my demonstration in court. “Zann,” I asked, “do you remember the bandages we found yesterday? Could you check to see if they’re all as flexible as those ones?”

Zann shot me an odd look, but shrugged off her confusion. “Sure, I guess.” She walked over to one of the intact statues -- one the forensic investigators had already examined, from the looks of it, as a few squares of bandages were already missing from it. At Zann’s touch, another piece of the bandages crumbled away; Zann herself was mystified. “Wh--? The heck? That’s not what happened yesterday…” Spotting one of the bloodstained fragments still lying on the ground, she reached for it.

The reaction was immediate. The bandage leapt from the floor, lunging at Zann and swifty binding her hand. As Zann jerked backward, several other bandages lurched toward her, though mercifully none of them managed to make contact. I yanked the struggling woman away from the scene and slowly managed to untangle the bandage scrap -- which went inert as soon as it got far enough from its intended victim.

Zann pointed accusingly at the bandage, careful this time to keep herself out of range. “What in heck was _that_ s’posed t’ be for?!”

I examined the offending fabric, but aside from its abnormally good condition for its apparent age, I could not detect anything unusual. “I… don’t know. How could--?”

“Oh, that part’s easy,” Zann said, waving the question off. “Alex had a spell like that. Or ritual, or however that works. I dunno the details. What I don’t get is why it up an’ attacked me like that.”

I continued investigating the bandage. “Perhaps it has something to do with the blood?”

Zann froze. “That… that’d do it. But tha’ means…”

I looked at her curiously. Zann seemed horrified by the implications. “Zann?”

She turned her fearful gaze upon me. “It means this isn’t a normal murder. This couldn’t have been just Alex defending themself… the attacker had magic, too.”

\---------------

“RrrrrrrrraaaAAAAAAAGGGGHH!” The scream of exertion that echoed through the hallways was followed first by panting, then by the sound of steel on stone. “Why -- won’t -- you -- _open_??” The woman screamed, the frustrated cry breaking down into exhausted sobbing soon after.

Zann and I exchanged a glance. “On second thought,” she said, “let’s show ‘er this later.”

I nodded, and the two of us retreated from the morgue entrance toward the nearby crematorium. Before we could move far, however, we found ourselves confronted by a young brown-haired woman wearing a lab coat and a pink beret over a Plasma Knight’s uniform. She pointed a spray bottle of Lumineonol at us as if it were a handgun, the handheld blacklight in her other hand raised like a backup dagger. “Hold it right there!” she challenged, “what did you to do Knight… oh. It’s just you.” She frowned grumpily at us. “What do you want? Knight Zarth already told us you’re allowed to investigate, why’d you go and make her upset anyway?” She paused. “Actually, _how_ did you manage to make her upset, period?”

Zann grimaced. “Trust me, it wasn’t us. She… brought her team in with ‘er.”

The woman’s brow furrowed, her teal eyes filled with confusion before widening in realization. “You mean she--?”

Zann nodded.

“…Wow. That’s so unlike her. She’s always been so… professional.” The woman seemed to belatedly remember Zann and I were there. “Oh, I’m Ema -- Ema Skye. I’m a forensic scientist… well, in training, anyway. Team Plasma recalled me from my studies in Kalos to help with the personnel shortages on this case.”

“I see. In that case, Knight Skye, could you go over the forensic evidence you’ve found from the site of Agent Arthur’s attack?”

Skye nodded. “I can do that.” She holstered the bottle and blacklight while we walked closer to the crematorium doors. “As you could see, I was doing Lumineonol testing on the area, but nothing gave a reaction.”

“No blood,” I observed. “That confirms that the attack on Agent Arthur happened before the attack on Agent Zyther.”

“Right.” Skye pointed to the middle of the open edge of the crematorium door. “Plenty of fingerprints, though. We found both victims’ on it, of course, but we also found a new set we don’t have a match for.”

Zann and I exchanged another look. “Not our client’s?” she asked.

Skye shook her head. “Nope. But whoever it was, they dropped this.” She held up an evidence bag with a wrinkled white card inside, its most notable feature the long, ragged hole punched through it. “This was inside the room with Agent Arthur. It’s _covered_ in the third person’s fingerprints.” The Knight seemed unhealthily pleased by this fact. “Just think, if Knight Hakuda hadn’t figured out the whole Chandelure thing…”

“Chandelure thing?”

“Oh, right, that would have happened while everyone else was still in court. Yeah, she and Agent Zyther figured out that the Lampent on the mural weren’t just drawings, they’re actually intangible to that line of Pokémon. That’s how we managed to get the crematorium open in the first place.”

I belatedly noticed that Zann had gone very quiet for the past few minutes. “Something wrong?” I asked.

Zann slowly shook her head. “It’s just… that card. Alex had one for emergencies. That’s how Jamie Arthur lost her powers.”

I pondered that briefly. “You think there’s truth to her theory that Alex attacked her?”

“That’s the weird part, though. You have to destroy ‘em with your Implement, if you have one. Alex had a rose gold mask they could light on fire, I think, but that card looks like it was stabbed.”

“Stabbed…” I repeated. I looked to Skye. “You didn’t find any weapons in the crematorium, did you?”

“Not that I’ve found so far, no.”

“Could you look again, please?” I asked, the edge of steel to my tone indicating it wasn’t a request.

“Sure, I guess.” Skye’s annoyed tone betrayed her knowledge of why she was being sent off, but thankfully she complied without protest.

Zann caught the grim expression on my face. “You’ve figgered somethin’,” she said.

I nodded. “Mason and the victim both use the same kind of magic, don’t they.”

“Yeah. Alex actually learned from Alma, at least t’ start.”

“And the card? That’s part of the rituals?”

“The--? Oh. Naw, that’s… a bit different. They didn’t make those -- differen’ kinda magic. A… friend gave those to th’ two of ‘em in thanks fer helpin’ out with somethin’ or other. Alma still carries hers, even all these years later.”

I gripped Zann’s shoulder, staring intently into her eyes. “Are you _absolutely certain_ she still has it?”

“Absolutely certain she…?” Zann’s eyes widened. “You don’t think--?”

“Someone with magic attacked both Alex Zyther and Jamie Arthur. There’s a third set of fingerprints down here that don’t match anyone else connected to the case. The card that nullifies powers was activated with a knife.” I cast my memory back to the ritual Mason had failed to perform. “Tell me… would that ceremonial dagger happen to be Miss Mason’s Implement?”

“She’s still a kid!” Zann protested. “She’s just sixteen!”

“She is also a known killer,” a voice intoned from over our shoulders. Zann and I both looked behind us, finding to our mutual dismay that Zarth had approached our argument undetected. “Excellent work. I will contact the court immediately. Your client should be a free man in the morning.” Without waiting for a response, Zarth sent out her Magnezone, mounted it, and left.

“Amanda!” Zann yelled. “Amanda, you--!” Zann whirled on me. “Do you have any _idea_ what you’ve done?!” Zann’s fingers twitched toward her waistband, but she suddenly changed her mind, pointing her finger in my face so quickly I reflexively flinched. “You’d better do a _dang_ good job defendin’ her,” she threatened, “else there ain’t no one on the _planet_ who’ll be able t’ defend _you_.”

As Zann backed away, disappearing into the darkness, the last thing I saw of her was the gleam of pure hatred in her eyes.


	9. Interlude

August 12, 2017  
Hollowview Hotel, Black City, Unova  
Room 811

Bonnie shot up from her bed, gasping.

“Bonnie?”

The girl in question looked over to see her mentor staring sleepily at her. A glance at the clock showed the time was just after 4 AM. Bonnie blanched. “Sorry, Alexa,” she whispered. “Bad dream.” She thought for a moment. “I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.”

Though Alexa did so, Bonnie found herself unable to comply with her own orders. Not wanting to disturb her roommate with her restlessness, she quietly slipped out of bed and retrieved her Holo Caster. With a hesitant glance back at Alexa, she hid in the lavatory to type.

\---------------

The sound of a phone ringing woke Bonnie from her slumber. She sat up sleepily, briefly confused before realizing she’d fallen asleep while writing in the bathtub. She hastily checked to be sure she hadn’t deleted anything in her sleep, then quickly shut the device off and jumped to her feet.

Alexa was waiting for her once she left the lavatory. “Enjoy your nap?” she teased.

Bonnie flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry. I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you again.”

“It’s fine,” Alexa assured her. “It’s not like the press office gives statements on Saturdays unless it’s an emergency.”

“Hmm.” Bonnie looked down, irritated but not wanting to take her impatience out on Alexa. She looked back up again as she remembered what woke her. “So who called?”

“Oh, that’s right. It was your brother, I told him you were still asleep.”

“What?!” Bonnie checked the time -- 10:00 AM now -- and bolted for the hotel phone. The device rang several times before someone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Big brother!” she yelled, not caring about Clemont’s sudden complaints about hearing loss. “How are you?”

“Well, I’m definitely not asleep, that’s for sure,” he joked. “How’s your assignment coming along?”

Bonnie made a face, forgetting that they were on a voice-only line. “It’s boring. The only thing they’re saying is ‘we’re sorry, we’re not ready to talk, try again later’.”

Clemont chuckled. “Well, that makes sense. They obviously built those suits in secret, and those evolutions seemed pretty spur-of-the-moment, too. I’d wager they’re still working out the details for themselves.”

“Still…” Bonnie laid her head in one hand, tapping her temple as she tried to think. “Oh! So how have things been going at the Gym? Did you get one of _your_ Pokémon to Mega Evolve?”

“Not yet,” Clemont lamented, “but the other day I got close! These two challengers came in, and it turned out they were part of that group on One Island!”

Bonnie nearly dropped the phone. “They were _on_ One Island?!” This managed to draw Alexa’s attention, and she made a motion to Bonnie. “Hang on, Clemont, Alexa wants me to put you on speaker.”

As soon as Bonnie hit the button, Alexa started speaking, pencil and notepad in hand. “Clemont, it’s Alexa. Did you get their names?”

“Uh-huh. Lucia Zyther and Jamie Arthur. They managed to beat me for their first Badge.”

That gave the reporter pause. “Zyther? As in Lionel Zyther?”

“His daughter. I’d actually met her before.”

Ordinarily, this would have been the point where Bonnie started teasing Clemont about marriage prospects -- a habit Bonnie had become more subtle about but refused to cease entirely. However, her attention was, for once, focused on something else. “Jamie Arthur… wasn’t the person who sent out the story email an Executive Arthur?”

“Story email?”

The two quickly filled Clemont in on the details of the contest Bonnie had been writing for.

“I see. Well, if it helps, she was a really strong Trainer. Her Heracross hit like a truck, even without powers my Magnezone couldn’t stand up to it.”

Bonnie mentally crossed ‘Rule 63!James Arthur’ off of her mental list of character tags, feeling an inexplicable sadness as she did so. “So are they still there?”

“They should be,” he said. “They mentioned visiting Kalos together for a bit, and they seemed pretty enthusiastic about getting the rest of their Gym Badges.”

“I’ll call my sister after this, in case they’ve challenged her” Alexa said. “Can you put us up for a couple nights?”

“Sure,” Clemont confirmed. “When would you want them?”

“Tonight. Skyla still owes me a few favors, we should be in the air in about two hours, and by the time we land it’ll probably be close to midnight in Lumiose.”

Bonnie jerked her gaze over to her mentor. “We’re going back to Kalos?”

Alexa nodded. “Team Plasma’s still clamming up. Meanwhile, your brother actually _met_ two eyewitnesses. We’d be crazy not to chase that kind of lead.”

Bonnie bit her lip. “All right. I’ll start packing.”

Alexa held up a hand to stop her. “No, I’ll handle the packing. You keep working on your story. As good as a lead as this is, it’s still a long shot. Yours at least is guaranteed to get us in contact.”

With some trepidation, Bonnie nodded. “I’ll… do my best then.”

The reporter smiled reassuringly. “I know you will.”


	10. Trial - Day 3

April 22, 2022, 7:56 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“You did your best.”

I still maintain that the only reason I jumped in such an undignified fashion was that I was previously running late to court (by my standards, at least), and had thus overly-focused my attention on everything I needed to prepare in such a now-shortened time frame. I certainly did _not_ yelp embarrassingly, nor did I drop the papers I was holding.

“Sorry,” Hikari apologized, bending down to pick something (certainly not my case files) off of the floor.

I waved him off. “I’m… not quite sure I can agree, Agent Hikari. But I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Hikari stood back up and shrugged. “This case has been a mess from top to bottom. Some of the others… seem to have forgotten that.”

As if on cue, I heard a cacophony of familiar voices approaching the now-open door.

“In case you’ve forgotten, she’s a _killer_!” Hakuda yelled.

“And?” another familiar voice drawled.

“And she _kills people_. Why is this hard for you to understand?”

“She ain’t killed no one this time. Heck, why’re y’all so wound up about it, she ain’t never killed anyone y’all know anyway?”

“She’s certainly tried!”

“Bah! Tried ain’t did.”

“My _best friend_ \--”

“--Is alive ‘cause she did th’ right thing when push came t’ shove. Or have y’all forgotten that?”

“We haven’t forgotten,” Hakuda-Tierra interjected soothingly, “but right now she is the most likely suspect. Means, opportunity--”

“Motive! Where’s ‘er motive? She wouldn’ta done nothin’ to ‘Alex! She’s practically their little sister!”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean it went both ways.”

“And you and I are Alex’s actual sisters,” Zyther countered. “Shouldn’t we be doing everything in our power to bring Alex’s killer to justice?”

“ _Ah am! An’ Alma ain’t it!_ ”

“I would appreciate,” I said, momentarily leaving the lobby, “the respect of peace and quiet while I try to scrape together a case.” I ignored the upset looks I got -- I was used to that -- and shut the door behind me.

Hikari crossed his arms. “I wish I could help.”

“Why?” I asked. “Wouldn’t you be on your sister’s side?”

He shook his head. “They don’t get it. Not everyone can be sunshine and Roselia all the time. Sometimes good people end up doing awful things, but that doesn’t stop them from being good people. I know you, Miriam, and I know Amelia. If the two of you trust Alma’s innocence, then I’m willing to trust in it too.”

“Your faith is admirable, but misplaced.”

Both of us jumped, neither of us having seen the bailiff escorting the girl into the defendant lobby. “Mason,” I greeted, “I’m glad you’re here. Firstly, are you comfortable with me being your defense attorney?”

Mason nodded. “I have confidence in your ability.”

“And are you confident regarding Ms. Zann _not_ being your defense attorney.”

This prompted some hesitation, but Mason eventually nodded again. “There are many things I would trust Ms. Amelia with. Remaining calm in an emotionally-heated situation would not be one of those things.”

“That sounds about right,” Hikari interjected. “I’m going to leave now so you two can talk over your attorney-client matters. Will you two be alright on your own?”

I waited for Mason to nod before following suit. “I appreciate the support, Ryan. I’ll see you after the trial.”

He returned the nod and left.

I turned my attention to my client. “All right. Miss Mason, it is imperative that I know the truth of this matter. Did you kill Alex Zyther?”

“No,” she answered.

“Very well. The next question is, where were you on the night of the murder?”

“Relic Castle.”

My mouth went dry. “I see. And what were you doing there?”

“Attempting to murder Alex Zyther.”

My heart seized up in my chest. “What?”

Mason gave me an appraising look. “It may be best for me to waive my right against self-incrimination and testify directly. I am a creature of truth by necessity due to the Pacts I have made, which will provide you unimpeachable ammunition should you ask the correct questions.”

My mind spun as I attempted to process Mason’s confession. “And what, might I ask, are the correct questions?”

“The first is ‘Were you successful?’, in regard to my attempt to murder Alex. The second is ‘Did you make your attempt of your own free will?’”

The realization snapped my mind back into order. “And who, exactly, coerced you into making this murder attempt?”

Mason nodded approvingly. “That is the third question. Its answer will bring about the ultimate conclusion to this case. Unfortunately, I am prevented from providing its answer.”

“Another necessity of your abilities?”

She nodded.

I was slowly coming to understand the true challenge of defending this client. Our final battle was about to begin.

\---------------

April 22, 2022, 10:00 AM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Courtroom No. 3

The gallery was already murmuring by the time the judge’s gavel struck the sounding block with a decisive _***CLACK!***_

For once, I could not blame them. I myself shared their surprise at the unexpected appearance of the case’s third new judge.

In the defendant’s box, Mason cocked her head. “Professor Juniper?”

Zarth cleared her throat. “Your Honor. I’d like to thank you for your timely response to the court’s summons, and to apologize for the necessity of calling upon your services.”

Nuvema Town’s Pokémon Professor nodded from the judge’s bench. “I’m happy to help,” she reassured, “though I have to confess, I’m a little confused as to why my help is necessary. I did qualify for my judge’s exam back in college before I changed majors, but…”

Zarth looked down and shook her head in shame. “As you know, Unovan law encourages a change in judge for a case whenever suspicion is moved to a new defendant, in order to maintain an objective judicial perspective. Unfortunately, the case before us has been particularly tumultuous, and as a result suspicion has been transferred multiple times. Sadly, the legal climate of the past several years has resulted in a lack of interested applicants to our region’s law enforcement and justice departments, forcing us to seek alternative candidates. I myself was not the Bishops’ ideal prosecutor for this case, but at present the majority of our other qualified prosecutors are either ill or abroad.”

I frowned at the revelation. Was the legal situation in Unova truly so dire? It would certainly explain the ramshackle state of the trial and investigation so far.

“I see,” Judge Juniper said. “Well, as unusual and unfortunate as the situation may be, I would like to remind everyone that this is still a court of law. You have entered the courtroom of Judge Aurea Juniper. The people are real. The case is real. The ruling is final. I expect all of you to treat this situation with the full seriousness it warrants. Do you all understand?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” I said. Across the courtroom, Zarth intoned the same thing, while Mason nodded from the defendant’s box.

“All right. In that case, court is now in session. Is the prosecution ready?”

As always, Zarth readily delivered her line. “The prosecution stands ready, Your Honor.”

“Good. And is the defense ready?”

For the last time, I repeated my usual statement. One way or another, the trial would end this day. “The defense is prepared, Your Honor.”

“All right. Now, I have reviewed the notes of the previous trial days, but for the sake of formality, will the prosecution please explain the details of the case?” 

Zarth nodded. “On the night of April 18th, Agents Jamie Arthur and Alex Zyther were attacked while performing an archaeological examination of the newly-discovered portions of the Relic Castle ruins. While she survived her attack, Agent Arthur was disabled and imprisoned, and thus unable to assist Agent Zyther when the latter was attacked. The prosecution believes Agent Zyther to have been killed by the defendant and their body sealed inside a sarcophagus by supernatural means in order to prevent its discovery.”

Judge Juniper frowned. “I see. The notes from yesterday’s trial indicate there was a possibility that the victim survived the attack? Have you uncovered evidence to the contrary?”

“We have not,” Zarth admitted, “but ordinarily a human cannot survive more than three days without drinkable water. If Alex Zyther was not already dead as a result of the attack, they are certainly gone now.”

Despite her cold tone, I couldn’t help but remember what I’d learned the day before -- that Zarth and Zyther were siblings. “Prosecutor Zarth…” I began.

Zarth held up a hand. “I am aware of your optimism, Ms. Shields, and for a brief period I allowed myself to entertain it. However, I cannot ignore the facts. Agent Zyther was exceptionally tenacious, it is true, but they were also medically infirm and, based on the evidence, bleeding profusely. It is most likely that they perished within three minutes, as per the general rule for bleeding, rather than within three days of dehydration. Furthermore, unlike Agent Arthur, who was imprisoned but conscious and able to access her emergency supplies, we have had no indication that Agent Zyther regained consciousness at all within the sarcophagus. If they were still alive, we would have evidence of it, and quite frankly I made a grievous error to even consider otherwise.”

Judge Juniper looked back and forth between me and Zarth, the pained sympathy writ across my face contrasted against the cold sternness on Zarth’s. “Prosecutor,” she asked, correctly reading a need for compassion, “perhaps it would be best to call a witness to deliver further detail?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Zarth acquiesced. “Of course, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Knight Ema Skye to the witness stand.”

It took only a few moments for Knight Skye to be escorted to the stand, though she appeared thoroughly unhappy about it. I wondered what had happened to render the detective so apprehensive.

Zarth ignored her colleague’s discomfort. “Please state your name and occupation to the court.”

“Ema Skye, Knight of Team Plasma,” Skye stated. “I’m studying forensic investigation in Kalos, but was recalled temporarily to help with the case.”

Apparently Judge Juniper had also picked up on Skye’s displeasure. “Is something the matter, Knight Skye?” Someone in the gallery giggled at the address, but the judge’s disappointed glare soon put them back to silence.

Skye, for her part, was busily munching away at a bag of crunchy chocolate snacks of some kind -- the name of the brand escaped me. She paused her snacking to answer the judge’s question. “I… if you must know, yes.” The Knight fiddled with a snack nervously, practically grinding it to powder between her fingers. “I’m… not particularly comfortable with certain aspects of this case.” Skye made to munch the snack she had been holding, only to discover to her frustration that she had accidentally pulverized it. This did little to improve her disposition, merely translating her nerves into frustration.

“Could you… elaborate the reason why?” Judge Juniper asked.

“Magic,” Skye spat, an angry glare turning upon Zarth.

“You disbelieve its existence?” I asked. If she truly had no faith in the supernatural, perhaps I could leverage that skepticism to--

“No, no, I can believe in the existence of something right in front of my eyes. I just… dislike how vague our information about it is. With scientific subjects, I can apply my tools, my senses, my scientific principles to it, and I can come up with a solution based on logic and reason. With all this magic business, though, everything’s so… woolly. I can’t stand it.” She went back to nibbling nervously on a snack.

Judge Juniper nodded, her expression one of compassion. “I can sympathise. There’s a lot I’d like to understand myself.”

“The prosecution intends to address this issue in due time,” Zarth reassured. “In the meantime, however, Knight Skye will provide what information she can in the area of mundane matters.”

“Long as you don’t ask about stupid magic stuff,” Skye grumbled, but she nonetheless stowed away her snacks. “Okay. Hit me.”

“The prosecution acknowledges the relative lack of forensic evidence in the attack on Agent Zyther. However, we have uncovered ample evidence in Agent Arthur’s attack. Knight Skye, will you please describe what we have discovered thus far?”

“Gladly! Okay, so the crematorium door was practically _covered_ in fingerprints, just _all_ over the place! We think the victims had studied the mural earlier in the day. Anyway, in addition to prints from Agents Arthur and Zyther, though, we found a third set of prints. We weren’t able to identify them at first, but after Miss Mason was arrested, we matched her prints to the previously unidentified set. She was _definitely_ in the ruins at some point, and if that weren’t enough, we also found this.” Skye held up the card she’d shown me yesterday. “I can’t speak to what this card was for, but the defendant’s fingerprints were all over it, too.”

I sighed, knowing the answer to the question I was about to ask but needing to ask anyway. “I don’t suppose either victim’s prints were on the card alongside my client’s?”

“Nope,” Skye answered. “Only hers, but there’s more as well. When we arrested the defendant, we also found this on her.” Skye held up a ceremonial knife, the same one Mason had used in the previous day’s ritual. “Her fingerprints are all over this as well, and the shape of the blade perfectly matches the stab cut through the card.”

_It just keeps getting better,_ I thought tiredly. “By any chance, did you find anything on the blade of the knife? Blood, other fingerprints, anything like that?”

Skye shook her head. “No, there’s no sign of it being used as a weapon. Aside from its owner’s fingerprints, the knife is completely clean -- there’s not even the structural damage you’d associate with it being used to stab someone. We don’t think it’s the murder weapon.”

_Thank heavens for small blessings._ Of course, the dismissal of the knife as a weapon also meant it wasn’t a flaw in their case I could exploit, but at the same time a bloody knife found on my client’s person would have been far too close to a smoking gun for comfort.

“And of course, there’s also the fact that the defendant uses a Chandelure.”

The judge seemed confused. “Is that relevant?”

Skye nodded. “The crematorium doors can only be opened or closed by Chandelure or other Pokémon of that evolutionary line. We don’t know why -- that’s a question for anthropology, not forensics -- but it’s been tested very thoroughly. Of course, we have documentation for all of this.”

“I see.” Judge Juniper tilted her head pensively. “All right. I’ll accept these items into evidence. Do you have a theorized order of events?”

Skye tensed, but Zarth held up a halting hand. “We do, but the prosecution would like to call an expert witness to provide clarification during the explanation. Does the defense have any further questions for the witness?”

I considered the situation, but ultimately shook my head. It was, however, time to start putting our plan into play. “The defense does not challenge the prosecution’s evidence,” I declared, “merely its interpretation of said evidence.”

The gallery began whispering and murmuring, but a single raised eyebrow from Judge Juniper was all it took to silence them. “The prosecution has yet to provide its interpretation,” she reminded me.

I nodded. “Yes,” I agreed, “but the defense believes we have anticipated it.”

Judge Juniper shook her head, but let the point go. “All right. Witness, you may step down. Prosecutor, please call your next witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. The prosecution calls the judge to the stand.”

There was a long, confused silence in the courtroom.

“Er… did you mean me?”

Zarth blinked blankly for a moment. “Ah… no, Your Honor. I… apologize for the confusion.” She held up a piece of paper, squinting at the words written on it as she moved the page closer and further away, attempting to look at it from as many angles as she could. Eventually, she gave up. “My apologies. It appears that the witness’ name is utterly illegible. For the sake of clarity, I am referring to the judge who presided over yesterday’s trial.”

“Oh! I see. Hm.” Juniper consulted her own notes, but to her consternation could not seem to discern a legible instance of his name, either. “I… hope you were able to deliver his summons?”

Here, at least, Zarth seemed confident. “I was. Bailiff, if you could escort the witness in?”

It was a truly strange sight. The bald, gray-bearded judge strolled in, still wearing his robes and carrying a gavel in hand. He hesitated a moment before the witness stand, but managed to step up to it without serious incident. “Well, now,” he said, “this is quite the situation, isn’t it? I never thought I would see this courtroom from quite this perspective.” He craned his neck to get an overview of the courtroom. “Everything looks quite large from down here, doesn’t it? How strange.”

Even Zarth seemed to be doubting the wisdom of calling this particular witness. “Witness -- that is, Your Honor -- if you could state your name and profession to the court?”

Between my own confusion and the general air of oddity surrounding the judge, I found myself momentarily distracted. “Your Honor -- er, that is, Witness…”

Judge Juniper raised a finger to interrupt me. “For the sake of avoiding confusion, for the duration of the witness’ testimony, perhaps we ought to refer to him exclusively as ‘Witness’, regardless of his usual station. Would that be acceptable, Your Honor?”

The judge nodded. “It is odd, I admit, but I understand the necessity. I’ll allow it.”

Even as a witness, it seemed, there were some things the judge could not let go of. “Witness,” I said, “I have to ask -- why did you bring your gavel?”

The judge seemed thoroughly embarrassed. “Well, er… that is to say…” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “If you must know, it’s a bit of a force of habit. I feel rather indecent without it.”

No one had a response to that. It was Zarth who finally managed to pull the trial back on track. “Witness, is it true that you are an expert in paranormal human abilities?”

The judge shook his head, but nonetheless seemed pleased by the statement. “I wouldn’t call myself an expert,” he hedged, “but I’ve developed an interest in the topic over the course of a few cases. I’ve maintained a subscription to the ‘Oh! Cult!’ magazine for several years now, and have done some passing research elsewhere.”

Zarth nodded before continuing with her next question. “You were also present during the ritual the defendant attempted at yesterday’s trial, correct?”

“Of course I was, where else would I have been?”

“Very well. Based on your observation, what school of paranormal ability do you believe the defendant demonstrated?”

“Pact magic,” the judge answered. “The giveaway was the Implement she used, as well as the ritualistic reliance on the Rule of Threes. I would not be surprised if one of those three Pokémon was her Familiar as well.”

“I see.” Judge Juniper leaned forward eagerly. “So by an Implement, do you mean…?”

“It was a ceremonial knife, though unusually sparsely decorated,” he said. He glanced over to Zarth when she held up the knife in question. “Yes! That’s the one,” he confirmed.

“This knife,” Zarth said, “was used to damage this card.” Here she held up the card in question. “Are you aware of a magical procedure that would involve such an action?”

“Hmm… that sounds like _El Naipe_. It’s a completely different system of magic, but if it’s prepared properly an _El Naipe_ card could, in theory, be activated by a magical implement from some other magical discipline. _El Naipe_ is flexible that way.”

“I see. And what can you tell us about the ritual this card was used to activate?”

This time, the judge shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. Part of activating that sort of ritual involves destroying the prepared card, which also means destroying a lot of the details that could otherwise be used to prepare the ritual.”

“Would an _El Naipe_ ritual be consistent with the testimony Agent Arthur delivered yesterday regarding the attack that nullified her own abilities?”

“Possibly. I couldn’t say for sure.”

Judge Juniper frowned, consulting her trial notes once more. “Wouldn’t that imply that the Flash of 2017 was caused by an _El Naipe_ ritual? Why is this not public knowledge?”

The judge shook his head. “If that was an _El Naipe_ ritual, it operated on a far greater scale than any _El Naipe_ magic I have ever heard of. In any event, even if the exact cause was known, I don’t doubt that the authorities would prefer the exact details remain obscured in order to prevent such a disaster from happening again.”

“Of course.” Judge Juniper withdrew, but I pressed further.

“Objection. Witness, if the card in question was used to nullify Agent Arthur’s powers, would it not have nullified the culprit’s own powers as well?”

“Objection!” Zarth interrupted. “The defendant’s powers would not have been necessary to overpower Agent Zyther once Agent Arthur was removed as a threat.”

“Objection,” I countered, “during my and Ms. Zann’s investigation of the crime scene, we discovered that not all of the bandages at the scene retained their elasticity, but the ones that were properly flexible had in fact been rendered so by a Pact ritual that commanded them to restrain a target.”

“What?”

“Oh! Yes, there is such a ritual,” the judge interjected. “If memory serves it is one of the swiftest rituals to perform, as it requires few physical components.”

“And you say you and Ms. Zann discovered this?”

I nodded. “They attacked Ms. Zann when she reached to examine them.”

“They attacked Amelia…” Zarth murmured to herself. 

“Witness,” Judge Juniper instructed, “please answer Ms. Shields’ first question.”

“Ah. Regarding the card nullifying Pact powers?” The judge considered it for a few moments. “No,” he finally said, “I don’t believe it would. Pact magic operates on very different principles compared to other kinds of powers. I don’t think _El Naipe_ could have nullified them -- perhaps a specified Pact ritual, if specially prepared to do so, but not Pact magic in its entirety.”

“I see.” I set my jaw unhappily. “Objection withdrawn.”

Zarth frowned at her desk, clearly trying to work something out. “Thank you, witness. No further questions.”

“Actually,” I said, “I do have one final question before you go. Witness, what are the restrictions upon a Pact user?”

The judge seemed startled by the question, but nonetheless dutifully considered the answer. “That’s… hmm. You must understand, the answer is very complex. Taking a Pact involves quite a number of different restrictions, some of them even specific to the individual user. It would take some time to go over all of them.”

“Then allow me to be more specific. What happens if a Pact user lies?”

“Their available power is dramatically reduced. The only thing worse I can think of would be breaking an oath, which can result in the loss of the user’s ability entirely.”

I filed the information away for later reference. “So how reliable would you consider a Pact user’s testimony in court.”

“Extremely reliable.”

Judge Juniper caught on to my train of thought. “Even if they are the accused?”

“Yes. The penalty is far too significant to ignore.”

“Thank you, Witness,” I said. “No further questions.”

“You may step down,” Judge Juniper added.

“Happy to have been of service.”

The witness stand stood empty. The entire courtroom seemed to be waiting with bated breath for the inevitable drama to come, poised on the precipice of pure pandemonium.

This was it. The moment had arrived. I looked to my client for confirmation.

She nodded.

I took a breath. “Your Honor,” I said, “the defense calls the defendant, Alma Mason, to the stand.”

The courtroom erupted. Zarth could only stare at me in confusion.

“Order!” Judge Juniper demanded. She did not have to ask twice. The gallery quelled, she turned her gaze upon me. “Ms. Shields. Are you certain of this decision?

“Yes,” I said, keeping an eye on Mason in case she changed her mind. “My client fully recognizes the rights she is voiding in order to testify.”

“All right. Will the defendant please approach the stand?”

The bailiff escorted Alma forward. With Zarth still out of commission, it fell to me to begin proceedings. “Please state your name and occupation to the court.”

“I am Alma Mason. I am a contractor for Team Rocket, but my primary duties are classified in nature.”

“Thank you.” I directed my attention to my counterpart across the courtroom. “Prosecutor,” I said, “I believe you mentioned having a theoretical order of events earlier?”

The direct address managed to grab Zarth’s attention. “Yes? Yes, I did.”

“Would you care to state it for the court?”

Zarth eyed me with suspicion, but nonetheless took the opportunity to present her case. “The prosecution believes that Miss Mason gained access to the ruins during the period when Agent Lucia Zyther was attacked by wild Pokémon and Agent Hikari left his post to come to her aid. Once inside, she ambushed Agent Arthur, nullifying her powers with the _El Naipe_ card and trapping her within the crematorium to ensure she could not come to the victim’s aid. She then attacked the victim in the corridor, where a struggle ensued. After restraining and killing the victim, she sealed the victim’s body in a sarcophagus in the morgue in an attempt to hide it, but was forced to flee thanks to the arrival of Agent Hikari and Agent Hakuda.”

There was an angle here to attack -- namely, Mason’s means of egress -- but a subtle shake of her head told me to leave it be. We needed to stick to the plan. “Miss Mason. Is Prosecutor Zarth’s theory accurate?”

Mason considered for a moment. “A large portion of it is accurate. There are some incorrect details.”

Whispering began to break out in the gallery, but I pushed past it. “Miss Mason. On the night of April 18th, did you enter Relic Castle and attempt to kill Agent Alex Zyther?”

“Yes.”

The gallery filled with gasps. I made eye contact with Judge Juniper, who raised a hand in warning. The onlookers silenced themselves.

“Were you successful in your attempt?”

“No, I was not.”

“Objection!” Zarth crossed her arms, frowning sternly at Mason. “How is it that you claim you failed to murder Alex when they are clearly dead from your attack?”

“It is simple,” Mason replied. “Alex became aware of my presence, and was able to discern my intentions. I knew I could not overcome Alex while they were actively using their abilities in self-defense, so I restrained Alex and fled.”

“Speaking of which,” I interjected, “I’d like to know. How exactly did you escape the ruins undetected?”

“A sarcophagus -- possibly the very sarcophagus of which you have repeatedly spoken. The sarcophagi of Relic Castle possess several unique qualities, one of which allowed me to link two of them together via the phantom dimension that most Ghost-type Pokémon can access; I suspect that is why they are so prevalent throughout the castle. I used the ritual in question to link a sarcophagus on one of the upper floors to one of the sarcophagi in the morgue. After my failed attempt, I dismantled the connection behind me as I escaped.”

“Thus taking you right past Agents Hikari and Hakuda while they were making their way down.”

“Precisely.”

Zarth slammed a fist onto her bench, making us all jump. “Why, then?” she asked. “Why would you murder someone who cared so much about you?”

Mason opened her mouth, but a moment later snapped it shut. She shook her head, lips pursed. “I am sorry. I cannot answer that question as currently phrased.”

“Then allow me to ask you this,” I said, “did you make your attempt on Alex Zyther of your own free will?”

Mason shook her head. “I did not.”

The gallery’s murmuring grew louder. Zarth seemed similarly shaken.

Taking a deep breath, I placed both hands on my bench and leaned forward. “Miss Mason.” I stared directly into my client’s eyes. “Can you tell me who coerced you into making an attempt on the victim’s life?”

Mason shook her head again. “I cannot.”

“Tauros s--”

“Ms. Zarth!” Judge Juniper snapped. “You will restrain yourself!”

Zarth visibly took several moments to calm herself down. “Yes, Your Honor,” she answered at length. “I apologize.”

The gallery was whispering, undeniably unnerved at the crack in Zarth’s emotionless facade. This time, however, Judge Juniper had no need to bring them to order; the prosecutor’s own gaze silenced them just as thoroughly.

I did my best to bring things back on track. “Miss Mason, can you describe at all _how_ you were coerced into your attack?”

Mason tilted her head in consideration, then nodded. “I believe I can, though I cannot provide details. I was contacted by an individual who claimed to be in need of my help. After exchanging some communication, I promised that I would help them, and that I would not divulge the details of our contact. It was only after they secured my promise that they revealed their true identity, and made clear the nature of the ‘help’ they would require of me.”

“For clarity’s sake,” Judge Juniper asked, “was the ‘help’ in question the murder of Alex Zyther?”

Mason closed her eyes, dipped her head, and sighed heavily. “I am truly sorry, but I cannot answer that question.”

“I think her inability to answer that question, Your Honor, outlines a rather vivid answer of its own, does it not?”

“Indeed.” Zarth’s gaze was solid steel. “It also conveniently fails to provide a culpable culprit. Our most recent investigation was as thorough as humanly possible. Every last piece of evidence we gathered is here in this very courthouse, transported from the ruins to here at immense personal difficulty. We recalled our most talented investigator all the way from Kalos to ensure that not a scrap of evidence was missed, that no stone was left unturned. We found _no_ evidence of any unknown parties whatsoever, and yet the defendant still dares to claim she did not commit the murder that very obviously did happen?”

“Objection!” I sent a glare of my own towards the prosecutor. “Our previous witness’ testimony already established that my client’s testimony is trustworthy due to the restraints of her powers.”

“It established that her dishonesty would be inadvisable, yes. It did not establish that it would be impossible.”

“To do so would be to lose her powers!”

“And what proof do you have that she still has them??”

The question echoed through the suddenly-silent courtroom.

“Ms. Zarth.” A plan slowly began to come together in my mind. “You said that you have every piece of evidence from the ruins here at the courthouse, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“Miss Mason. You stated that the sarcophagi of Relic Castle possess several unique qualities.”

“I did.”

“Would it be within the ability of your powers to open such a sarcophagus that has been supernaturally sealed?”

“It would.”

“Ms. Shields,” Zarth asked, “what exactly do you intend this to prove? We have forensic evidence that the victim’s body is inside that sarcophagus. Unsealing it would only serve to prove that the defendant is capable of having sealed it in the first place.”

“It would prove that,” I admitted, “but more importantly, it would prove that she _still_ has that ability… that none of her statements here have been lies.”

“We can already prove they _are_ lies _without_ the sarcophagus!” Zarth protested. “Even if a third party somehow followed her into the ruins, they would have had to somehow avoid notice by three different people _and_ somehow escape after killing the victim without being caught, when Mason herself had just dismantled her escape route! Tell me, if you are so confident in your client’s innocence, how did the ‘real killer’ escape the ruins undetected?”

Time seemed to slow as the facts of the case raced through my mind.

_Alma Mason did not commit the murder. She has directly stated such to both me and the court, and cannot speak falsely without losing her powers. This means the real killer is…_

I considered my options. There was evidence linking several different people to the ruins on the night of the murder, but the only one who could fit all the facts would have to be…

_…a third party._

_This fact, of course, raises the problem Zarth places before us. After the murder, the killer would have needed a means of escape. The killer’s means of escape…_

I once again mentally laid out my options before me. The entrances had been guarded, Mason’s route had been closed behind her, and Hakuda, Hikari, and LaDonna herself would have been the only ones aware of the latter’s route, which meant the killer’s exit… 

_…did not exist._

_There was no way for the killer to leave the ruins, which means they had to hide somewhere inside. But the ruins have been thoroughly examined, and have been crawling with Team Plasma officers for days. They’ve investigated every inch of Relic Castle, except…_

Except…

_…the inside of the sealed coffin._

_The killer…_

_…is still inside…_

_…the sealed coffin._

Time started racing forward once more. I turned to Zarth, breathless with exhilaration. “You’re absolutely correct, Zarth. The killer did not have a means to escape the ruins. In fact… _they never left._ ”

“What?! We found no evidence--”

“Of course, not, you couldn’t have. The killer’s hiding place has been sealed this entire time.”

Zarth stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You… think the killer sealed themself in the sarcophagus?”

“More likely Alex did it themself. They would have had the means to activate the coffin’s abilities after all, just like Miss Mason.”

“If that’s the case, what happened to the body? There is not sufficient room in the sarcophagus for two adult humans.”

“The bandages.” Zarth and I both startled, the two of us almost having forgotten Mason’s presence. “I used that ritual to bind Alex. If allowed to run unresisted, they would have completely mummified Alex, just like those statues. If you were to begin systematically unwrapping statues, you would most likely find Alex in place of one of them.”

“Starved to death because of your spell,” Zarth noted.

Mason shook her head. “Alex would have resisted their effects, and would have been able to take control if they had survived. The only way they could have been mummified is if they failed to resist at all -- such as if Alex died of their injuries.”

“But the blood--”

Someone in the gallery -- I had a strong guess who -- gasped loudly, and there was a small commotion as they barreled out of the gallery exit. Mason, meanwhile, was unfazed.

“My only attack against Alex was the restraining ritual. It would not have drawn blood.”

“Which means,” I added, “that someone else would have had to attack Alex after my client had already left. Someone, perhaps, who had already demonstrated their desire for the victim’s death? Say, by coercing my client into making a half-hearted attempt that would distract the victim long enough to finish the job?”

“You don’t understand,” Zarth protested. “The blood from the coffin is an _exact match_ to the victim.”

“Amanda,” came a panting voice as Zann burst through the courtroom doors, “that’s the last piece of the puzzle.”

Zarth stared at Zann for a moment, confusion morphing slowly into horror. “You don’t mean--”

Zann nodded. “Ah do. Tell me, when y’all said ya brought th’ coffin here at ‘immense personal difficulty’, ya didn’t happen t’mean--”

“My psionic abilities. Mechanical transport would have been prohibitively difficult and destructive, but the coffin was resistant to my powers.”

“ _Psychic_ powers. What if it wasn’t th’ _coffin_ that was immune t’ Psychic?” Zann looked over to Knight Skye. “Skye, y’all have a sample of th’ blood from th’ coffin?”

“Sarcophagus,” Skye corrected automatically, “but yes.” The Knight retrieved it from the evidence box behind Zarth’s bench.

“Amanda. Try an’ lift it.”

Skye set the plastic vial on the desk and attempted to lift it telepathically, but after several seconds of effort she barely managed to raise it an inch above its surface.

Judge Juniper was thoroughly confused. “Is that blood… human blood… somehow Dark-type?”

Zann nodded. “Exactly.” She locked eyes with Zarth. “An’ who do we know who’s immune to psychic powers, wants us dead, and _shares our exact DNA_?”

The blood drained from Zarth’s face. Right on cue, a loud **_BOOM_** and a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the courthouse, causing Zann to go pale as well.

“Belle!”

Without really thinking, Zann, Zarth, and I raced out of the courtroom, the sound of shattering glass spurring us further. The window at the end of the defendant lobby hallway was completely shattered, and the door to the lobby next to mine had been kicked open, an unconscious guard and a panicking Belle LaDonna visible inside.

“What happened?”

“I kept LaDonna here for the rest of the trial in case I required further--”

“Not you!” Zann snapped, “Belle. Are you all right?”

LaDonna nodded shakily. “I-I’m fine. He just… _exploded_ out of the coffin, attacked the guard… Amy, it was _him_ \--”

“Ah know, hon, Ah know. It’s all right now. We’ll get ‘im next time.”

I frowned at Zarth. “You kept a witness in the same room as evidence?”

“There was a lot of evidence,” Zarth protested, “and I assigned a guard--”

“Fat lotta good that did,” Zann growled.

Before Zann could escalate the argument further, the bailiff caught up to us. “Her Honor wants to know what’s happening.”

Zarth hung her head in shame. “It appears,” she said, “that we’re closing the case. I will explain it to her later.”

“No,” I said. “ _We_ will explain it to her now. Let’s go.”

\---------------

“Goodness,” Judge Juniper proclaimed, once we returned to the courtroom and relayed what had happened. “This is… quite surprising to say the least.”

“Your Honor,” I said, “In light of the appearance of the true culprit, as well as the revelations we’ve come to in court, the defense would like to move for an immediate verdict.”

Zarth nodded morosely. “The prosecution concurs.”

“All right.” Judge Juniper raised her gavel. “This court finds the defendant, Miss Alma Mason… not guilty!”

_***CLACK!*** _

“Court is adjourned.”

\---------------

April 22, 2022, 4:28 PM  
District Court, Castelia City, Unova  
Defendant Lobby No. 3

“I’m grateful for your defense, Ambassador Shields. I do not wish to burden you with the further consequences of my actions.”

I shook my head. “It won’t be a burden at all. I’m confident that we will be able to negotiate a settlement out of court.”

“If it helps, we don’t plan to pursue a civil case.” Lucia Zyther stood in the doorway next to her brother, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. “I’m… sorry for what I said this morning. And to you, Ambassador, for abandoning you.”

“You don’t owe me an apology, Agent Zyther. You did everything in your power to help the people closest to you and uncover the truth. Your dedication may well have saved Agent Arthur’s life, after all. How is she?”

“Still in the hospital,” Zyther answered, “but she’s doing well. She’ll probably be released either tonight or tomorrow morning. But I still feel like--”

“Let it go, Lucia. If anyone owes an apology,” Hakuda said, walking up and ushering Hikari and Zyther into the room before him, “it’s me. I let my temper get the best of me, and jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry, Alma.”

“Me too,” Hakuda-Tierra added. “I… tried to be neutral about everything, but I don’t think I totally succeeded in the end.” She gave me a half-smile. “In the end, I guess you were right, just about the wrong defendant.”

Mason smiled, the first time I had seen her do so. “Thank you. All of you. Your apologies mean much, especially to me. But I do not blame you for your feelings. As far as I am concerned, you are forgiven.”

“Alma, how in heck’re you more grown-up than me?” Zann smirked and shook her head. “But ah guess if y’all can fergive ‘em, then ah can too.”

“I do hope the same can be said of me.”

Everyone turned to see Knight Zarth waiting outside the entrance to the defendant lobby, appearing thoroughly downtrodden by the course the trial had taken. Her left hand clutched a minimized Pokéball at her side, while the other clamped tightly around her wrist. She held her head to one side, face downward and twisted away from direct view; all in all, the picture of a prosecutor disgraced at her own hand.

Before anyone could stop her, Zann marched forward, radiating wrath. She stood inches from Zarth, who instinctively drew back from her, and glared for several seconds. Finally… she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her.

“I’m angry,” Zann informed her, “so unbelievably freakin’ angry. But yer my sister, and Alex was both of our sibling, an’ ah doubt they’d want us t’hate each other. Ah can’t say ah think Alex’d approve’a what ya done, but ah do think they’d fergive ya fer it.”

“Amelia’s right,” Zyther added. “Alex was important to all of us. They would have wanted everyone they cared about to keep caring about each other.”

“I…” Zarth seemed deeply conflicted. She sniffled, then nodded once. “Thank you. I appreciate your forgiveness, even though I fail to understand it.” The tension in her body eased up slightly as Zann released her. “I… need to consider some things. To face myself, and my actions. Alone. I will be in touch.”

“Absolutely not.” Hikari blocked Zarth’s path, arms crossed. “Alex would never have let you suffer alone, so I won’t either. As far as they were concerned, you’re a part of this family, so as far as I’m concerned I’m going to act like it.” His expression brightened. “You’re stuck with us, like it or not.”

“I suggest just going with it,” Hakuda-Tierra teased. “When Ryan sets his mind on something, he’ll never give up. He’s stubborn like that.”

The quip broke the tension, as gentle laughter filled the room. Zann chuckled and stepped forward with Mason, a guiding hand perched protectively on the girl’s shoulder. “Well. If we’re done bein’ mushy, Ah’m gonna go grab Belle, an’ th’ three of us’re gonna go get Alma a ‘you got outta jail free’ present.” She smiled wistfully to herself. “Ah, mem’ries. Got anythin’ particular in mind?”

Mason considered the question carefully. “I believe I have an idea. Could we go to Relic Castle?”

Zann cackled gleefully. “Kid, I like how ya think. Later, y’all!”

“What?!” I spluttered incomprehensibly, able only to gesture wordlessly between Zarth and myself.

“That’s our Amelia,” Zyther chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

“Yep,” Hakuda agreed. “Trouble never stops for her, does it?”

“What?! What?!?!”

“I feel like I should be more concerned about this,” Hakuda-Tierra admitted, “but every time it happens I can’t help but just smile and laugh.”

“Come on,” Hikari said, “let’s go help before she gets them in even more trouble.”

“What?! What?!?! What?!?!?!”

Zarth sighed, staring at me in sympathy. “I hate when she does this. At times like these, I find there is only one suitable response.”

I shook my head, sighed, and nodded. The two of us took a deep breath.

“ **OBJECTION!!!!!** ”


	11. Conclusions

August 12, 2017  
Skies above Kalos

“…And done,” Bonnie mumbled, yawning as she deactivated her Holo Caster’s virtual keyboard.

“Oh, you finished it already?” Alexa appeared surprised at Bonnie’s speed. “I’m jealous. I wish I could type that fast on the go. I’m pretty much useless without my computer keyboard.”

“It’s weird at first, but you get used to it.” She glanced over at the reporter sitting in the seat next to her. “Want to read it?”

“Sure!” It took Alexa most of the rest of their flight to read through the story. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but as the lights of Lumiose came into view, she frowned slightly. “Wait,” she asked, “is that it? Who was the culprit?”

“Oh!” Bonnie blushed. “Yeah, I decided to leave it a secret. I… I sort of liked doing this, so I wanted to make it a series, and I needed a villain… besides, you always say you should leave the audience wanting more, right?”

Alexa chuckled at her apprentice throwing her own advice back at her. “It certainly did that, Bonnie.”

Bonnie stared out the window, Lumiose Tower still visible above the skyline even with its lights off to save on power. “Hey Alexa?”

“Hm?”

“You really think we’ll find those two women we’re looking for?”

“I…” The reporter considered her words carefully. “Truthfully? I don’t know. Kalos is a big place, after all. But I do know this.” She waited for Bonnie to turn back around so she could look the girl in the eye. “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Whether this lead pans out or not, you’re the one who noticed the email from Executive Arthur, and you’re the one who put in the hard work to try and make contact. I have a really good feeling about this, so make sure you send it in as soon as we’re on the ground, okay?”

“Mm-hm.” Bonnie nodded. She stared out the window for a few more minutes, then yawned. “You know,” she said sleepily, “whatever we find here, I hope this time it’s interesting.” She jolted and sat upright. “Er, newsworthy! I meant newsworthy!”

Alexa shook her head affectionately. “Me too, Bonnie,” she said, “me too.”


	12. Epilogue

April 22, 2022, 8:17 PM  
Relic Castle, Desert Resort, Unova  
Eighth Floor

“I found it,” Zyther announced. She pointed to the gold-plated mask on the statue, its design more reminiscent of the Alolan guardian deities than the masks of the native statues.

Zann swore. “I should have noticed it--”

LaDonna shook her head. “There were more pressing parts of the case. It’s not your fault.”

“There’s a ton of statues here, too,” Hikari added. “Anyone could have missed it. I mean, everyone _did_.”

Zarth frowned as she noticed something. “Mason?” she asked. “What are you doing?”

“It’s all right,” Mason murmured as she approached the mummified statue. “I am no longer bound. I will not harm you now. You can come out.”

The mask shuddered suddenly -- and then a small shadow appeared, hoisting the face-like accessory into the air.

Mason smiled contentedly. “Hello, Alex. Welcome back.”


End file.
